


Time and time again

by Vee4Vampy



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Blood Magic, F/M, First Time, Ice Powers, Magic, Rift Magic, Time Loop, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2019-08-25 23:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 72,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16670665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vee4Vampy/pseuds/Vee4Vampy
Summary: This is my first ever fan fic, inspired by Dragon Age: Inquisition.I am no pro at writing, I admit that, but thanks to the wonderful world of Thedas, I found my creativity spark again, and this is what I decided to do.Solavellan is my key inspiration. creating my own Canon lore, inbetween the time of Corypheus's defeat and trespasser, and after Solas and the inquisitor meet again.





	1. Timing is everything

_'Tonight's the night'_   was in Vianna's mind all day with every minute that ticked by, trying to hide the excited bookworm and student within her. After waiting for hours since Varric passed on a message, she took a deep breath as her most trusted companion and friend, Dorian, walked into Skyhold's abandoned war room, leaving the two alone with only a triple candlestick on the table for light.

"I abandoned a night with Bull because of you, you little minx." Attempting to act disappointed didn't work with Dorian, his light charm and energetic charisma was as clear as the curly mustache on his face. Before he could enter the room properly, he was instantly told to shoosh by Vianna, waving one hand negatively and a solo finger pressed against her lips.  
  
"Not so loud please!" She ended with a whisper. Still using sarcasm to show he's still not impressed, he walked around the wooden door with an attempt to lock it, so slowly, like there was no gravity within his space.   
  
Of course, Vianna wanted to laugh instantly. Who would have thought a Tevinter mage and an apostate elf could share a heartfelt laugh. He has been the only one to break a smile on her face since Solas left, and just like that she would forget the negative feelings and have a more positive smile. However, her ribs were hinting quite quickly that it's gonna hurt if she doesn't laugh, or snap out it. A small clear of the throat, a brisk shake off the head, with an attempt to look serious brushing her hair behind her ear, she walks over to her midnight joker, grabbed his arm and pulls him away just as he latches the door shut, tugged him over to one of two wooden chairs, and forced him in to it like he was being interrogated.  
  
"Come on darling you know I like it rough, but it doesn't suit you."  
  
"Stop it!" She spat back with too much of a giggle in her voice, making Dorian smirk with accomplishment saying _I_ _win,_  with his facial expression alone.  
  
"Oh, I'm serious." Trying again as Vianna took a seat in the wooden chair sitting opposite his own.  
  
"So am I. Please?" Dorian lets out an over exaggerated sigh, slumped back into his chair and twisted his mustache a little.  
  
"Now I am grateful for that extra flex Bull gave me." With such a pompous look, he then quickly shifted forward.  
  
"Right? enough of that! Always a little too much with me isn't it? So, What do you need me for? must be serious if I have to whisper." Now the joker had finally finished his tune for the court, Vianna took a deep breath and began discussing something very serious, that she wanted to keep the top secret between themselves, and anyone else involved had to be discreet and very careful.  
  
During the conversation, Vianna reached down, pulled out from under the table a simple red leather bounded box, as she opened the lid, it revealed a small pile of paper scraps, some rolled up scrolls wrapped within the ribbon, and another box, tiny enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Dorian is feeling very nervous right now, Vianna is trying to keep her cool and not mess up the summery of her plans, as she takes the small box, and offers it to Dorian.  
  
"This is where it begins if you help me or not" A gulp echoed in the small space of a large hall, as Dorian takes the box, and opens it up instantly. Not even looking at it for a full second, he saw the content and slammed the box closed. Disgust, disbelieve, disappointment, shock, everything came out at once as he placed the box on the table, stood from his chair and began to pace.  
  
"Oh, Maker Maker Maker Maker, why why-why, why, WHY?!" Gone was the charm, the charisma, the sarcasm, now the serious, bold and direct approaching mage stared at his friend with dismay as he looks at her, offing his hands to her expecting an answer, a good answer.  
  
"You were with me, remember? it worked!" Anger was boiling up a little too much, as he paced more and more.  
  
"Of course it fucking worked, only because I got involved, but what if I didn't? Maker knows what would happen if we didn't..." Finally, he stops moving. Placing his fingers on his face, he sighs again while rubbing his tired eyes behind closed eyelids.   
  
"Why do you really want to do this?" There was a long pause.  
  
"For me, for him." That was expected. "With your help, I can make it work properly. I just..." She had to pause and take a breath as the emotions starting to crawl their way out through her delicate voice. Dorian folded his arms, looked at Vianna, but when he heard the emotions crack through the poor girl's voice, the tension in his shoulders eased away, he felt sympathy for her.   
  
"I could help him find a way to stop his foci from breaking. I could even help him from a different time entirely." She looked up to Dorian as he stood above her. He looked like he was gonna scream down at her, but those icy blue eyes instantly froze him still, the sadness in them melted his heart, his choice was soon made when she whimpered to him.   
  
"I love him, Dorian. I just want him back. Please help me?" A single tear fell from her eye, looking like ice melting. Dorian unraveled his arms, stretched out his arm and placed his hand on her cheek, catching the tear on his thumb and rubbed it away. Not a flinch of the body or a blink of an eye reacted to his touch.  
  
A huge smile spread over his lips, "I will always be here if you need me, Vina sweetheart" His approval was a surprise to the elf, just the same for him, as she lunged off the chair and threw herself into Dorian's chest, embracing him tightly across his back and neck. He held her tightly in return, resting his head in her white hair, taking advantage of her natural floral scent he secretly enjoyed.  
  
"Thank you, Dorian. Thank you!" She whispered tucking her face into his neck.  
  
"It's ok Vina, it's ok!" he said calmly. A little giggle echoed in Dorian's ear, making him wonder what's so funny? She said thank you again. "I said it's ok."  
  
"No, not for the help." Vianna let loose of her grip of Dorian's torso, brushing her hands down his muscular arms, to his hands and held them in her own. Her glazed blue eyes still shined with tears, but there was a smile, as she looked at his puzzled look, making another cute giggle.   
  
"For what then?"  
  
"For giving me a nickname."

Now all the nerves had settled, Vianna's brain could finally relax and allow itself to realize how tired she was. Even though Dorian tempted her to have a few drinks with him in Skyhold gardens, she had to refuse and made her way back to her quarters. She wanted a little part of her consciousness alert for tonight, as yet again, she's on a hunt, but she's always the prey.   
  
The fire in her room was now faint red embers and grey coated ash, but the white candle was still burning on the table by her bed. The moment she looked at her bed, it was more than just tiredness that was calling to her. She unraveled the rope around her woolen dressing gown, revealing her bedwear silk dress. She dashed into the bed moving the covers over her, reached over and blew out the candle, then made herself comfortable as quickly as possible, closed her eyes and prepares her body to sleep, but her mind, ready to seek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave feedback, thank you x


	2. Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since Solas mysteriously disappeared, no one could find him, physically, in the world of Thedas, but in the Fade, Vianna could always sense his presence. Occasionally, the two forbidden lovers would meet at their own personal place, deep within the Fade. Conversations were limited, but the love between the two was enough to say without a word. Vianna always entered the Fade prepared and ready for whatever the outcome may be, but on this particular night, all the preparation she had could never account for what was going to happen.

The gentle whispers of the cool wind, dancing with the tune of rippling water woke her sound, waking her sight. Long green strands of grass swaying before her eyes, settled with the backdrop of a lake, centered between two white halla statues. It was where it began, and ended, everything came together only to fall apart. She was back in Crestwood, laying in peace in the secluded area that only they knew, and became theirs alone.  
  
"Lathbora viran." Vianna looked at the stone status, then rolled from her side onto her back. Staring deep into the green sky of the fade, everything around her was exactly the same as her memory, but the sky shielding her always reminded her where she was. As she lay on the grass, the magic within her started to rejuvenate, connecting with the fades magic, touching her toes and fingers making them tingle.  
Slowly magic from the ground surged upwards through her muscles, bones, and blood, traveling up her legs and arms, reaching her lower abdomen, and torso. It spread across her chest then up her throat, making her face feel fresh and clean, then finally the magic gathered to the source of her true power, her heart. A peek of satisfaction touched Vianna, she smiled as she turned her head to one side, her eyes gently closed, and then she began to hum a soothing, gentle tune. The long notes pitched a beautiful tune as she controlled her breathing and felt her heart filled with magic, thumping in her ears like a drum. The vocal range of the music began to be carried with the wind, spreading its enchantment into the faded memory. As a conductor of energy, the life force of this sacred world continued to charge and cleanse the peaceful mage, the spirit of her melody started to spread to the lyrium veins hidden in the ground, causing a powerful pulse of magic, attracting spirits of all kinds.

Somewhere else, in the fade, Solas sat in the center of a rune, vibrating a light green hue circle around his body. He sat with his legs crossed, palms resting on his knees, back straight, head high. The dreamer suddenly decided to awake from his trance. His eyelids shot open, exposing a set of grey eyes, bursting with magical energy. The tips of his ears twitched along with a tiny smile rising from his sealed lips. His relaxed palms turned to fists, getting tighter in strength as his consciousness returned to his mind.  
  
"She's here!" Satisfaction exhaled from his chest as he used his voice to say his excited words. The runes hue sank back into its circular border, then it began to shrink in size aiming to where Solas sat, then completely disappeared. The eager elf quickly got to his feet and began to scan the threads of magic around him, feeling for different vibrations or any familiar disturbances. Another tweak of his ears became a beacon, making him turn to look behind himself. His physical vision could see green skies, floating rocks, though his magical vision could see a surge of power, resting on the horizon like a blue sunrise. It pulsed, growing stronger in strength and light, almost pulling at Solas's heart, calling to him, luring him. The smile on his face grew, knowing exactly where she was.

"Ma ghilana mir vhenan. I need to see you!" Solas lowered his hands to the floor and slightly bent his knees, a sudden surge of grey smoke shrouded over the elf, then exposed a complete shapeshift. The elf was now a black wolf. With one wag of his tail, the creature sprinted into the direction of the blue light. Swift agility gave the wolf's legs the speed to run, the reflexes to jump and dodge, no distance was too long or too far. His sense of smell reached such a distance he could never get lost, his six eyes gave him the many layers of illusions, magic and mortal sight. It wasn't long before the wolf had to sharply come to a stop, digging his claws into the dirt like a break, his ears began to dance to something. There was an unusual pulse felt under his paws, coming through the ground, Thedas was literally pumping magic through its veins, in the ground, through the world. The reaction in his ears got stronger, he was almost losing control of his body, feeling goosebumps all up his legs and across his spine. At last, he finally realized what had him captivated.  
  
"La ma sulahn!" With one final flick of the ears, the wolf snorted and dashed forward, now the voice was calling him. The powerful magic was no longer his main focus, he just wanted to find that hypnotic, beautiful angelic voice. This serene melody reaches his ears, hypnotized his mind and soothed his heart. Volume was getting louder, the messenger was called to the wolf and he wasn't going to stop.

Sudden flashback memories of Solas and Vianna together began to rush to his mind's eye, sparking the feeling he felt inside after they kissed for the first time in the Fade. "No woman has ever done that to me." A moment he could never forget and since then, he hasn't forgotten her lips, her scent, her taste. The urge to turn away from her in her room was strong, but the urge to hold her and kiss her again was much stronger, and he never regretted fighting his own stubbornness. He wanted to say he loved her, he does love her, having her in his arms was the best feeling he ever felt in all his years. All those travels they spent together made him feel proud to see a dalish so strong in magic, mentality, heart, and will. He didn't need her to tell him he was wrong, she was telling him every day without saying a word.

The voice was, even more, louder, too loud for his own sense of hearing to focus on, the feelings of love, happiness, belonging was giving the elf flutters in his heart and stomach. The wolf kept running, seeking, prying. The creature was drawing near, his heart pulsed with the fade, his sense of sound drowning in bliss, his heart sinking into his chest with so much emotion. With a mental snap of the fingers, the sunrise of light soon became shadowed, as the wolf rushed to a holt, sitting instantly onto the grass beneath and looked up to stare at a wall of stone. The animal in the elf was on such a high, the curious prowler looked to his left, hearing the voice sing so clearly, and noticed the small walkway leading to the core of this phenomena. The hunter has found his prey, the messenger called for her companion, now he's here, with one peak behind the stone wall, he saw her! "Vhenan!"

Her name was finally called to her mind. The time to awake was here, he was here, the only thing she waited for and wanted. The connection, the bond, the desire, and lust. The magic they created in each other's arms, lips to lips, losing themselves in the eyes of each others soul was unlike any magic this world offered. The wolf stood still but flinched back a little once he noticed the elf move. He couldn't blink as he watched her rise like a wisp, ready to seek the afterlife. Her entire body was still flowing with magic, shining brighter than a full moon, the holiest white and blue light reacting to the world around her, like a rooted seed she connected and grounded herself. Wild, thick white hair was swimming around her, the white dress she wore swayed to the breath of magic. Her pupils were now a complete sapphire blue, skin as white as a Halla's pelt. The hypnotized creature gazed at the unspeakable beauty of his love. Never had he seen a mage connect to magic as she did. As he gazed, he could almost see the tree of Mythal within her sphere of magic before him, warming his heart, increasing the pace of his delicate paws. Vianna smiled watching a red glare surrounded in shadow draw close. She stretched out her arm and offered her hand out towards the wolf, her small lips pulled open, then her voice called again.

Serenity! Solas was in a true state of heaven! How could such a world he knew suddenly create this creature of purity? Hopes and dreams of finding a soul, never believing it existed since the death of Mythal, he lost faith in all. Yet he stood before this true, real beauty, and he loved her, he needed her, he wanted her. What good has he done in his entire, long, lonely life to deserve her heart? Another question he asks himself every day. Solas's mentality started to submerge from the beast as he walked closer, noticing the finer details of her face coming in to focus.

That was it! he couldn't fight back anymore. Her magic was too strong, her singing kept pulling him, and his love stopped the prowler, and released the elf. One swift pounce of his paws and hind legs, he leaped in front of the girl. Magical pressure almost repelled him back, but once he was in the sphere, his black coat touched the palm of her hand, the sphere of magic then expanded and exploded like a giant bubble. Once Vianna felt his soft pelt caress her skin, her body exploded with the storage of magic. Shock hit her hard on the chest, she struggled to breathe a little but was soon ok. The black pupils returned to her eyes, gravity made her hair fall behind her as she continued to catch her breath. A sudden grasp caught the hand she was holding out, tightening gently around her fingers. Vianna looked up, and stopped once she was looking in the eyes of her love, back in his wise elf form. He sat on his knees, one hand holding hers. His chest was bare, with his wolf jaw necklace always resting perfectly in the center of his torso. A small wolf pelt rested across one shoulder and wrapped around his neck, black leather trousers, and nothing on his feet.

He looked down upon her with pride, observing on the sly if she was going to be ok. Without warning, Vianna used her free hand, grabbed the wolf pelt and pulled Solas downwards onto her, making his lips make instant contact with hers. Both elves close their eyes, let go of each other's hand and tangled themselves within an embrace of desire. Vianna wrapped her arms around his neck, placing both hands over his head. Solas placed his left arm around her lower back, bringing her closer to him, while the right hand, he slyly placed on her buttock. Their lips remained together for a while, they then broke contact, releasing heavy breaths, but soon went back to kissing, turning heads opposite each other. Solas gripped harder and held her tighter. Vianna just didn't want to let him go. She gripped the string of his necklace and the wolf pelt when she felt her body being held so tightly against his. Solas was the one to stop the embrace. He wanted to look at her properly. Her smile made him smile back. The constant unique floral scent went up to his nose with every breath. He placed one hand on her silky white skin, caressing her cheek then moving to brush her white hair through his fingers. Vianna brushed her left hand away from his neck, placed it on his cheek, feeling his cheekbones as he smiled. The other hand still holding onto the pelt.

Solas placed his forehead onto hers. "Ar lath ma Vianna." She smiled and nuzzled her forehead into his.  
  
"Ar lath ma Solas." She then lifted her head upwards, breaking the connection. Lowered her hand from his face, stroked her fingers tips down his throat, across his collarbone, all along his torso before the pelt had to make her stop going lower. Solas shuddered with pleasure at her touch, this was too much teasing. He quickly slapped his hand on top of hers, gripped it firmly and moved into onto his heart.  
  
"we can't keep doing this, but with a performance like that, you control me." Even though she knew this was coming, she still smiled, still with that dreamy lost look in her eyes.  
  
"I'm becoming stronger for you. I said to myself I will be a part of your world, and if this is your world, then I want to be a part of it too." Solas suddenly put his head down, acting as he could no longer look at her, yet his hold of her remained.  
  
"you could put yourself at risk, and I won't see you do that." Vianna released the grip from Solas 's hand, placed it into his cheek and gently pulled his face back to look at her in the eyes.  
  
"Its ok, I'm fine, I know what I'm doing. Soon we will be together, and I'm going to help you." A frown suddenly emerged over Solas's brow.  
  
"There is nothing you can do to help me. My goals have become my mistakes, I must endure and suffer the consequences." Vianna giggled and placed a small gentle kiss on his lips.  
  
"Not anymore." Vianna brushed her face close against him, placing her lips before his ear, and whispered something.

The brow of his confusion shot up to shock after he heard the final word of her statement. With a bit too much force, Solas grabbed Vianna's upper arms, pulling her away from his face and stared at her.  
  
"You can NOT do that! I'm serious! you can't, you mustn't!"  
  
"Why not?" She said in surprise. "I thought you'd be happy, or at least curious." Solas shook his head in disgust.  
  
"Your wrong! You've scared me, you're going to make me worry. I can't let you do this, no one knows anything about this." Vianna now wishes she prepared for his disapproval over her idea more than the rejection, again. Her mind began to panic over it all, her heart couldn't decide over what it was racing for. Shakes started to form in her body, and her voice began to squeak as she replied.  
  
"I thought you would be happy, at the thought of being with me, before all this mess." Solas got quite irate. A flare of red color hit his eyes looked like a spark made by a flint. His grip got a little too tight around the tender muscles of the girls' arms, it was scaring her.  
  
"Solas! you're hurting me!" Her tone of voice extended in volume as she spoke. On her final word, a pulse of the same magic that she endured moments ago, forced Solas to let go and he was thrown backward, hitting the floor.   
  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! That wasn't me!" she pleaded, after looking at her own body in confusion.  
  
"I do!" Solas said as he got to his feet "It was her! She's protecting you!" He stood high, strong and still, looking at Vianna with that red spark still in eyes, making her feel intimidated and very nervous.  
  
"so you mean...Mythal did that? How?"   
  
Solas took three striding steps towards her, she felt scared as he approached her and shouted: "I told you! you don't know what you're doing!" Solas was now right in front of her face. Was this the angry dread wolf of all those lost stories? If someone she loved also shook fear in her, there was more than just one mask on his face.  
  
"I'm doing this for you ma vhenan." The shaken, petrified girl didn't know what to do. "I want to be with you now and forever!"  
  
A snarl of a vicious beast escaped Solas's mouth. "I don't care! I just want you to live!" Solas stepped back slowly just as Vianna attempted to reach her left hand out too touch him.  
  
"This is the last time we will see each other!" His words were like a spear, and he threw it right into her heart. The pain and the sting were only going to get worse from this point.  
  
"No! you can't! You don't mean that do you?" Vianna fell to her knees in disbelieve. Solas was right, but for the wrong reasons. She didn't know what she was doing, she was just too blind to know. She started to break down in tears.  
  
"I can't! I'm sorry." He said it again, the exact same words he said before. That was the key to the lock on her heart, but instead of unlocking it, he decided to lock it shut, and so now it began. The warm loving heart received too much tormented and was now turning into cold stone.  
  
"Solas please, I need you, I love you!" He took two steps back, watching his love reach out to him, but he ignored her plea, and said: "Wake up."

" **Solas**!!" Vianna screamed out his name, leaped forward left arm extended out, only to find herself back in her room, now aiming for her dark fireplace instead of Solas. Dawn was just on the horizon of the icy mountains seen through the windows. The poor girl was in a cold sweat, breathing heavy with a wheeze coming from her throat. She stared blankly for a few seconds before realizing where she was, suddenly remembering what had happened.   
  
His voice echoed in her mind's eye repeating the one thing she never wanted to hear again. It broke her spirit. Her arm lost all its strength, fell to her side, her head fell onto the pillow and she began to sob. She snuffed her face inside the puffy fabric and covered her face with the duvet to suffocate the screams of pain, as her heart started forming that cold shell.

A good few minutes went by before she just suddenly stopped. Everything went quiet. Suddenly Vianna threw the duvet off her upper body, quickly rubbed her eyes and wiped away the tears, so she could look at the unexpected surprise in her right hand. Gently lifting her fingers from her palm, something very dark, with a shiny texture could be seen. Her fingers were on the verge of becoming flat, just as the break of the morning sunlight hit, beaming into Vianna's bedroom, and shone down onto Solas's wolf jaw necklace, still attached to the thin leather string shoving was now broken. Vianna felt the stabbing impact in her chest once she knew what she had, and what this means. Her heart was going numb with cold, her mind was losing its way, her spirit was becoming tainted. Quickly clenching her fingers back into her palm, gripping so hard on the sharp shards of bone and teeth. She took a thrill to it, waited and watched, till she saw her blood start to drip out from the mold of her clenched hand.   
  
"No more games, Fen'Harel! No more!" She watched and counted the droplets of crimson blood fall, but rather than hit the fabric with a splash, it would rather evaporate, morph into little tails of red magic, and begin to absorb like a beacon, to her left hand, possessed the anchor. Stunned by the actions, she watched in silence, before soon enough, her head instantly went heavy, her vision was all a blur, and the energy to even hold her head up just drained away.   
  
"Ill....have...you..." Her final words faded, syllable by syllable, as she passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lathbora viran = A place of lost love  
> Ma ghilana mir vhenan = You guide my heart  
> La ma sulahn = And you sing  
> Ar lath ma Vianna/Solas = I love you Vianna/Solas
> 
> Please leave feedback, thank you x


	3. Time to turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only the weather was bright on the day after Solas left Vianna, again, this time in the Fade. A place where she believed she could keep Solas in her heart and in her grasp always, only for him to repeat the same heart crushing statement "I cant! I'm sorry." Unknowingly to both, this unlocked the door to the void in Vianna's heart of light and began to corrupt her heart, her mind, and her plans. Her once loved and treasured ones were now becoming victims to her own pain, but they were never going to give up on her, as she was willing to give up on herself.

Many hours passed by. It was a warm day accompanied by a cold clean breeze. Delicate echoes of birds broke the silence over the mountain tops within the clear sky. The drained elf eventually made a turn within the cocoon of fabric wrapped around her. The strength of the midday sun caught the girls tender eyes, indicating its time to get up.   
  
A huge stretch was needed before escaping the warmth and comfort of her bed, suddenly she paused, and panicked when she realized her hand was empty, that contained the necklace. Quickly she moved around the bed, kicking and throwing the duvet and pillows, lifting them over her head and running her hands around the mattress for the feel of the pendant with her fingers if her eyes fail to notice.

"Looking for something?" A confident deep male voice spoke out to the girl, startling her. She went into defense mode, due to the jumpscare, and quickly grabbed whatever bedding she could, covered her body, and lunged her hand in front of her towards the fireplace, shooting out a bolt of ice. Target caught with precise accuracy, but the target was an accidental one.   
  
"Looks like ss-someone else needs to ch-ch-chill."  
  
She gasped at what she had done. " Oh my! Varric I'm so sorry! " Vianna retracted the position of her arm, removing the magical ice encasing the dwarf that held him against the wall, just a few inches off the floor. The dwarf landed on his feet but continued to shudder through his teeth.   
  
"Thanks-ss" Vianna quickly reached for her dressing gown and put it on.   
  
"The cold will wear off soon. What are you doing here?"

A very unimpressed look was all over the face of the dwarf. The sudden ice attack didn't make it easier for him. He held up the necklace via the string, the pendant swaying beside his elbow.   
  
"How did you get this?" he asked in demand. There was an uneasy silence. Varric waited for an answer, while the elf climbed out of her bed like a stealthy beast stalking her prey. Her eyes didn't break from the sight of the wolf jaw pendant, while her legs began to place gentle steps towards the dwarf, her hands focusing on fixing her gown to look presentable. She came to a stop when she was literally in front of the concerned dwarf, both looking at each other face to face as the girl kneels gently to Varric's level, to look in his eyes.  
  
"We met. Last night, in the Fade" Her voice sounded emotionless and sharp.  
  
"I found it in my hand when I awoke" She refused to blink, her serious blue eyes fail to look away from Varric.  
  
"I need it back, please?" Confidence caused her to reach out to the pendant, hoping to have it back but fell in the grasp of the swift rogue. He grabbed the wrist of her right arm, pulling the pendant away from her grasp, and looked down at her palm. The girl instantly tried to pull her hand away, but despite small hands, a dwarfs grip was mighty enough to hold anything, therefore failing to hide what the dwarf was looking for.  
  
"There is blood on the bone. There are small holes in your hand." Again, a cold emotionless expression was all over the elf. She looked at her hand, gave up resisting the tight finger trap, and returned to look at the dwarf, eye to eye.  
  
"I was angry. That's all." Another flow of silence hit the two. Repeating the same action, Vianna reached for the pendant, successfully grabbed it. Varric refused to let go as she attempted to take it back.  
  
"You do anything stupid missy, I will use Bianca to put a bolt through that anchor permanently." No flinch, no blink, no sound, just a single tug of the pendant again, bringing it closer to her person, aiming to put in the pocket of her robe, but Varric tugged one more time, bringing the girl nose to nose with him.  
  
"And I'll put one through that knife ear if he corrupts you too."

A threat? Her love at risk? Betrayal from a faithful friend? Whatever it was, Varric pushed the wrong button, on the girl he believed was the heartwarming giver of hope and joy. The cold sting now resting on her heart, sparked a wave of defensive anger. A chilling mist clouded over the girl's hand, skin turning white with the element, magic ice slithered into solid form and spread up the necklace. Her face refusing to move, eyes filled with a cold stare, hand refusing to let go of the pendant. The dwarf, however, had to turn his eyeballs to his hand, watching the cold ice form quickly. The chilling vapor crawled around the skin of his fingers, the leather strap became tough to hold, soon the needle-like stabbing cold effect began to encase the dwarfs finger and in his palm. Strong he was, also stubborn yes, but not stupid! He let go of the necklace, placing his hand quickly under his opposite armpit, to combat the cold he could feel. Deep sighs of pain left the dwarf's mouth as he watched his friend stand to her feet, still maintaining the connection in their eyes.  
  
"Thank you! Varric!" Sharp, cold, sarcastic responses accompanied her stiff strong posture, placing the necklace in her robe pocket, then stepping aside, offering a direction to her door.  
  
"I have things to do." Slightly tilting her head. " Now get out! " A deep gruff tone made the gentle feminine voice turn aggressive and violent. The temperature in the air dropped as the tension raised, leaving the frustrated dwarf to walk as confidently as he could towards the door. The elf remained like a statue, stuck in her spot, even as the dwarf made one risky turn back to look at her, exposing, shaking his frozen hand, before placing it back under his arm.  
  
"I'm sorry. I really am. If I have to choose, you will always come first. I nearly lost Hawke, I'm not going to lose you, especially over a guy. I love you too Via-"  The personal code word rang in the lovesick, confused, hurt girl, she could only scream in response, pointing at Varric, as he looked at her from the door.  
  
"GET OUT!" Another flurry of ice, swarming into a cone escaped her fingers, closing the door in Varrics' face, along with a sealant of ice. The distraught elf stopped screaming, and stood there with a blank dead look on her face, admiring her actions, as her eyes began to stream with tears, so cold her eyes felt the sting. She continued as she reached for her bed and slumped onto the mattress. Continued to cry, wail with pain, even began to chant   
  
" _Why_?" under her breath whenever she was able to breathe. Minutes went by, nothing changed, all while Varric stood by her door, ear against the wood. He struggling to stomp out the need to cry on her behalf, as well as charge in there and hug her, but his feet acted as she froze them to the ground.  
Dorian casually started walking through the first of many doors, to reach the inquisitors quarters, curving around the tiresome collection of stairs, admiring his 'attempt' at a light lunch made.  
  
"Sparkles!" A whisper broke the distraction of admiration, the two men saw each other, but then Dorian had the focus to notice an echoed voice within the stone walls, it's tone and words unchanged every time. Dorian was about to speak out, but the dwarf then found the ability to walk, left the door, and looked up to the fellow mage as he approached closer.  
  
"Leave her. Just for a bit." Varric had to lower his head to rub his finger under his nose, throwing in a cough to hide the fact he was getting emotional, as his body was suffering the side effect of resisting emotional expression. Varric returns to Dorian's worried face.  
  
"She needs you more than ever Sparkles. DON'T leave her side." Varric paused, then raised his, once cold, right hand out in a form of a handshake. "For her sanity, and her life. Please Sparkles?"  
  
Dorian continued to look at the dwarf but listen to the wailing echo, over and over, same repetitive tone every time. Without moving his head, the mage threw away the food in his hand, confidently and accuracy throwing it through the window, and placing the same hand firmly into Varrics'.  
  
"You have my word! Nothing will kill our Flower. Can I ask you to do the same, please?"  
  
The dwarf bowed with approval "You got it Sparkles!"


	4. Time to reflect

"Its been over a week!" "She won't eat." "I haven't even seen her leave her room" "Do you think a demon has got her?" " I've been hearing a lot of mumbles during the night. " Rumors evolved into gossip for every passing day that Vianna stayed in her room. All servants placed food at her door daily, only returning to see it untouched. Guards on night patrol reduced their walks around Skyhold, as they were getting too affected by the cries heard at night. A constant cold chill filled the wing of her quarters. All this was becoming a regular report for both Dorian and Varric, trying to maintain control. Panic of any sort had to be reduced on the Inquisitors behalf, no matter what. Her job might be at an end, but her reputation must be maintained at all times, and to this current day, it was becoming a struggle to hide the issues. No one was even falling for Sera's tricks anymore, spontaneous or planned.

Ten days of silence moved on. A wild and wet night was not aiding the dull men, sitting opposite each other on a small round wooden table in the tavern. Both men holding onto tankard cups, foam bubbling from the freshly poured beverage. The atmosphere was quiet and small, making the music sound louder than usual, even over the heavy drops of rain. Both men held their heads down, slouching to their miseries, struggling to think of or do anything positive. Varric was the first to bring his beverage to his lips. He choked down large gulps, finishing his drink within seconds, then slamming the empty tankard on the table. A large burp escaped the dwarf, along with a satisfied sigh of relief.  
"Drink up Sparkles, don't let the froth disappear, it ruins the effect." Dorian looked at the fluid bubble under his nose, he hesitantly brought the cup to his lips, but the moment the bubbles touched his upper lip, he placed the cup down and pushed it away, shaking his head with disgust.  
"I can't! I need my wine if you want me to 'feel better'." Varric swiped the cup and chugged it down his own throat, some of it escaped from the corner of his mouth, but he just let it drip off his facial hair as he finishes and made another slam on the table. "Such a softy!" Another huge belch echoed the room, but no one made an issue of it. Dorian continued to look away, fanning his hand in front of his face.  
"Oh shut up and go write your soppy romance story for that Ironheart, Cassandra." Varric let out a joyful cackle, interrupted again by another belch, then continued the laugh.  
"Good one Sparkles. See, you still have your touch." The barmaid approached the men's table with an uncorked bottle of wine and a single glass. Dorian noticed her, very eagerly took the bottle out of her hand, reached for the cork and pulled it off with no problem with his teeth.  
"Thanks, darling!" Dorian spat out the cork, toasted to the barmaid then placed the bottle to his lips. He continued to gulp down the dark red sweet wine, the bottle was nearly half gone by the time he decided to place the bottle on the table. "I'm doing the best I can, I really am. But how can you repair a broken soul, let alone a broken heart?"  
Varric sighed and slide against the back of his chair "I wish I knew Sparkles. That girl has always been sensitive. Everyone will know something is up soon if she doesn't show herself." Dorian again resorted to downing the wine, Varric indicated for another drink, all while the rain got heavier, and the tavern got quieter.

No words were shared for over an hour, no spark of creativity could bring forth an idea or need to speak, just the misery of rain hovering above their heads and the drinks taste getting weaker on their tongues. Dorian was getting frustrated, fed up of repeating methods, theories, even joke to try and make Vianna come out of her room, but nothing satisfied him. He took the final sip of wine from his bottle and slammed it on the table.  
"I need a piss!" He shouted bluntly. He stood to his feet, only feeling his legs turn to jelly and his head swing like a pendulum. "Then we are going to her room! And gething a *hick* anther!" A very drunk Dorian staggered and turned to walk in some direction, other than where his body was telling him to go. If he found something to grip onto, he would, talking to inanimate objects as he found his way to the bathrooms. "Thupid girl...Whoops...Thupid girl!" Dorian continued to mumble in his own world as he finished his business, then made his way back to the table.  
"Another bollel my...Dear!" Dorian staggered through the door, arm raised high, only for it to fall by his side again. His vision was blurry and spinning but once he saw the shine of the ivory white hair, his drunk jelly legs became shocked jelly legs. Vianna was sat at the table, completely concealed by a hooded cloak. only her hair, face, and a single hand was visible under the ebony sheet. The drink took over Dorian completely. He started to cry as he sobbed out " Vina baby! Vina baby your *hick* here! " The weak legged man tripped forward, landed on his knees, fell into the girl's lap and began to sob drunk tears as he wrapped his arms around her lower back and snuggled his head into her stomach. Vianna smiled and brushed her fingers through his black hair, gently rubbing her fingertips on his forehead, watching her most trusted friend shed his drunk tears but honest feelings. " See? he is a softy. " Varric chuckled.

More hours passed by, but they were more active, more positive, as the elf, Tevinter mage, and dwarf all managed to talk, laugh, and be merry again. The rain had finally come to a stop, encouraging the only two people still awake, to look outside and see dawn was on the horizon.  
"Another beautiful dawn." Vianna looked at the black canvas clash with warm color and light as the sun began to rise from its slumber. She then got distracted as she felt Varric place his hand on hers, forcing the glass out of her grasp, and taking her fingers in his own grip. She looked at him puzzled.  
"Flower. I do love you. You are like a sister to me, just like Hawke your one of the very few, true, honest friends I have." Vianna wanted to pull her hand away, but yet again, Varric's grip was too strong to break from. She lowered her head, wanting to ignore the sympathy, the care, the concern. She didn't want it or feel it was needed. She wanted this from Solas and no one else.  
"Varric stop it. I'm fine." She only said it hoping Varric would stop.  
"No your not!" He snapped back. Patience was wearing thin for the dwarf to make the elf listen. The sudden increase of his voice made the passed out mage on the floor flinch his leg, knocking the table, before shouting randomly "I won! He's mine!" Soon he was back in his deep sleep and loud snoring. Varric tugged on Vianna's hand with gentle affection but kept strong on his grip. "I know your hurting. I have had my heart broken too, we all have at some point, but we all need to move on in life." Vianna slowly turned her head, looking more into Varric's eyes, swelling with emotions and concern for her. Her face concealed by folds of hair under the rim of her black hood, she attempted to look at him without breaking. "All I'm saying is, don't leave yourself in the dark. Look to your friends for support, and you can create new memories over time."

 _ **create memories. Over time.**_ Those four innocent words hit Vianna like a rain of fireballs. Her face lit up, she showed strength in her hands gripping Varric back. A small smirk cracked on her sealed lips. "Your right Varric. I can create memories." Varric felt like the weight of a dragon has come off his shoulders, he has had enough emotions for one day.  
"Exactly. You got me, Dorian, Cassandra, we are all here, thanks to you, in more ways than you think. I'm really really sorry about what happened, you know, back then. I was just looking out for you, sorry I'm still not very good at it."  
Vianna added her other hand to the bundle. "I'm sorry too. I needed to clear my head. I'll come to you if I need you."  
"I'll drink to that!" Varric smiled and shouted with praise, reaching for the countless refill of his beverage, and drank to only get a few drops to fall on his tongue out of an empty tankard. "I suppose that's a good sign. Here, I'll make sure you get to your room." Varric attempted to stand up, much better than when Dorian attempted, but he still staggered a little. Vianna wanted to thank him, still reject the offer, but he wasn't having it. "No way missy. After not seeing you for the first time in ages, I'm gonna make sure **Burp** you are safe. Sorry." A large snore reminded the two that Dorian was still on the floor. "Leave him, he will be fine." Vianna unhooked the clock from under her neck, removed it from her shoulders and placed it over Dorian, before the two friends left the tavern, using each other like crutches.  
Eventually, they finally reached Vianna's quarters. A few of the morning servants noticed the two walk through the courtyard and the main hall, Varric just looked at them with a smug look, thinking this is perfect to melt out the rumors for a bit. Vianna opened her door, just small enough to squeeze her body through, before turning back to look at Varric. "Good night Varric. I am sorry too, and thank you."  
Varric smiled and pushed his chest out with a satisfied feeling of accomplishment. "My pleasure Flower. I'm always happy to help. Good night." Varric raised his hand in the air as he turned around, indicating his departure. Vianna closed the door slowly, then stood against it feeling the lock shake the wood against her back. "Oh, you have Varric. You have helped a lot!"


	5. Free the man, free the cell

Many months have passed by. Seasons began to cross over. The warm colors of the world ready to hibernate for a deep sleep, protecting them from the chill in the air, and the harsh effects of snow and rain that was on the horizon for many days. As Thedas began to settle and recover, homes were built for the needed people and families, businesses started to spark the flare in Fereldan's market, recovering the losses for all needs. Dorian assisted the soldiers and guards, new and old, with a little help from his new accomplice, Maevaris Tilani. With her links to the dwarfs, they were able to make new armor and weaponry, opened their doors to their chantry for stranded persons, and any land dwarfs were giving extra aid to gather resources. The mages spread messages all over the circles to maintain control as well as ask for any healers for the wounded, alchemists for potions, and enchanters to help anyone carrying a weapon or wearing steel.

Skyhold was becoming quieter as people sadly died or were released from prison, they returned to their homes to rebuild, or seek for their calling since the blighted war caused by Corypheus ended. Some people refused to leave. Commander Cullen was happy monitoring the Templar order and securities around cities, using Skyhold and the inquisitor as a form of rehabilitation if he ever fell victim to his lyrium intake and relapse. Dorian made Skyhold his home as much as he could but was always dragged away by his duties as a Tevinter mage, and now he and his father were now on talking terms, politics and procedure why flying over his head more than his staff. Sera and Varric became the mini hunting party, Sera just wanted someone to beat, and insult, otherwise she would destroy the tavern, again. Varric just wanted the freedom, the air, and to spread Bianca wings. "poor girls a little rusty" he would mumble to himself if he was cased in stone for too long. Cole became a form of a councilor for the inquisitor when she struggled to focus on her duties, and help her calm down if she got emotionally distraught. In return, she helped him understand what it's like to feel, act, and be a human with a conscience and a personality. Leliana remained as the messenger and the inner spy to make sure everyone was a true aid and ally, and look out for former corypheus followers attempted to make a comeback. 

It was a rare treat whenever the inquisitor managed to have a few minutes to herself. She loves the company and conversations from others, it helped keep her mind clear of inner demons and focused on her duty, but everyone needs to unwind within their pleasures once in a while. For Vianna, that was just to rest in a hot bath, infused with the sweet oils of flowers, gently sprinkled with rose petals. The room was warmed by dim candlelight, two braziers toasted hot coals and wood, filling the room with the scent of a woodland summer day. Vianna felt like she was relaxed for the first time in a long time as she rested in her bath. She eventually got out when she felt her eyes fall heavy.

Pacing alone in her quarters, she decided to distract herself and turn to a golden rectangular box, engraved with the mage symbol on the lid. Inside was pampering set sent to her from Vivienne. A small note was the first thing she noticed as she opened the box. Beautifully written in blue ink was her name with a capital 'v' hidden at the bottom corner of the paper. She opened the note, it read:  
"Vianna my darling! I would say I hope you are doing well, but I already know your working too much. If I could be there to encourage you to let your hair down once in a while, you know I would be throwing you on a table getting a fruit oil massage. Instead, I asked my personal beauty (literally) to make her best oils, creams and lotions, and the finest qualities of furs and hairs that's good for you. You must look after yourself darling, I don't like seeing your beautiful-self fade away, inside and out. I will visit whenever I can, until then, enjoy the pleasures of Orlais. Much love darling flower. Vivienne"

Vianna did smile, knowing she cared, but the way she showed it was all her. "Bless you, Viv, your such a typical Orlesian sometimes." Vianna showed her gratitude by actually listening to the letter, and after her bath, she felt now is the time enjoy something new. Inside the box were mini bottles in a variety of colors, all with small tags and silk ribbon wrapped around the necks. A wooden crafted hairbrush, hand carved with a halla on the back. A square cut of fine-lined brown fur, giving the softest touch to the elf's skin, it made her coo with delight. Two small bags with pull-string ends were filled with some kind of salt or mini crystals, both with a lovely fragrance and beautiful colors. Vianna decided to pick one of the bottles, the blue one, printed on its tag "moonlight night". She just placed her fingers on the tiny cork, then there was a quadruple knock on her door. Startled, she quickly placed the bottle back in the box, made her way to the door, held the latch and put her lips close to the doors seal. "who is it?"

"Its Cole, Inquisitor." Vianna unlocked her door and moved away with the swing of the door, allowing Cole to enter. He still wore his oversized hat, but he held his head up higher now, allowing people to see into his eyes and notice an occasional smile. After entering the room he paused and looked around, and began to sniff the air. "It smells nice in here. Makes me feel warm inside from an open fire, yet I'm outside, surrounded by wildflowers and trees. I like it."  
"Thank you, Cole. Can I get you some wine? " she offered politely walking back over to her table, reaching for her own glass."Or maybe some tea?"  
"No thank you. I am here on duty Inquisitor, at your request." Vianna rolled her eyes without Cole noticing as she took a small sip of the rich wine. No matter how many times she asked him to drop the "title" and the formality, he stubbornly refused, treated it like a mentor with his student he said. "What's the news then my friend?" She asked placing the glass back on the table.  
"He has made a request to see you, in person. I tried to talk to him but...how did you describe it? 'He is just having a really bad day'?"  
"OKay. I'll go see him soon." Vianna went back to her glass, but this time she made sure she put it down empty. "Thank you, Cole, anything else?" Cole was still smelling the air and kept looking at the braziers, fascinated by the spirals of wood-scented smoke rise from the ash coated coals and charred wooden planks. A call of his name snapped him back the question at hand.  
"er, no, that is all." Cole nodded his head with respect and made his way to the door. "I'll show myself out." so polite and innocent minded, he still was a child in some way, but he had a strong head on his shoulders. Just before Cole passed the door taking his leave, Vianna stopped him.  
"Tomorrow I'll set up the braziers for you, as you enjoy the smell so much." Cole smiled, there was that little kid feeling like he got his reward for obeying orders and remembering his manners.  
"Thank you, Inquisitor, Goodnight"  
  
The night grew darker as Skyhold turned silent, the moon was in its crescent phase in the ebony sky, whispering with the howls of strong winds battling with the mountain tops. The final drop of red wine left the glass, as Vianna finished while staring at the moon from her balcony. The moon always made her ponder on her history, her heritage, reminding her of all the legacies and stories, myths and facts. It was also fun to play around with her magic using the lunar energy to see what she could create and morph within the palm of her hands. "I should go see him, it would be wrong of me if I left it too long." The buzz of the wine was keeping her awake, but she was stable to think and speak without a slip-up. She grabbed her winter coat, left her toasty warm room, descended down the cold stone steps, spiraled around the corridors of Skyhold, and reached the lowest level, the cells.

It was so cold Vianna could see her own breath, even though there were plenty of torches, fires and braziers, in and out of the cells, the cold managed to sneak in. She couldn't feel it as much, but the sound of guilty peoples teeth shuddering, stuttered breathing, and friction of skin against clothing was the indication she needed to know the real temperature. After a small walk through the hall of iron bars, she came to the cell directly opposite to her and stopped. In the cell was a human man, sitting on his prison bed, hovering his hands over a small brazier for heat. He wore a deep red leather coat, wrapped over his shoulders and back was animal hide to keep warm. The light from the brazier shined off the man's face, showing his bald head and aged look. He knew someone was approaching his cell, but when he saw it wasn't a guard, his sour attitude made its presence know. "Well well well! The Herald of Andraste finally decided to show herself to visit the people she enslaved behind bars. Ha! Did you race endure anything like this? or better? or worse?" Viana stood close to the cell door, picked up the torch hanging on the wall and used its light to see the man more clearly. "That's no way to talk to someone who wishes to help you." She looked on as the man just exhaled a very sarcastic laugh and remained silent, focusing on the heat. The cracking and spitting effect of the brazier, the swaying sound of a flaming torch was then accompanied by the jingling metal sound of keys, the cell door squeaked open, then squeaked shut. Vianna was now in the average sized cell.  
  
As her back was turned to shut the gate, the man took advantage and grabbed the elf by her throat. Pressing her against the cold stone wall, hoisting her up to his eyes, his grip tightened. The struggle to use all the strength he had to inflict as much pain as possible was riddled over his face. Vianna began to choke, feeling her throat crushing under pressure. She grabbing his wrists, started to dig her fingers in his skin, attempting to freeze him, but he only got stronger in grip, distracting her and freaking her out.  
"I should kill you right now and use you as bate to get the Venatori back! Why do even dare come here?" He spoke with such disgust and hatred, hoisting her higher now, hearing her heels bang against the stone in the struggle. Vianna was getting weaker, her head was getting light, her fingers were losing strength, but she managed to whisper an answer to his question. "It...worked..."  
The man instantly let go of the girl, making her fall to the floor. She gagged as she struggled to breathe again, wheezing and spitting on the floor. The man went into a state of shock. He walked backward until the opposite wall stopped him and he slumped down to the floor, still looking at the elf as recovered. "It worked?" He questioned her. "It worked!" Repeating himself with enlightenment. "It worked my love!" He shouted out looking up to the ceiling, holding his arms out in praise. He then quickly crawled over the small space between him and the elf. He grabbed her by the arms and again forced her against the wall, shaking her upright so he could see her face. She just shook like a ragdoll, hair masking her face. "Tell me! Tell-"  
  
The fanatic was then cut off, being forced against the wall himself, by the same ice attack Vianna uses for self-defense, but she was angry, so this ice was unique, an upgrade thanks to the hidden knowledge of Thedas. She moved her hand in a circular motion, trapping the man's entire body in ice, except for his hands and head. He attempted to struggle but within seconds, he was in a solid restraint, though as he struggled, he noticed he wasn't feeling cold. He looked down to see himself in ice, but couldn't fathom the explanation for why it wasn't cold, but then looked up and came face to face with the mage.

  
She rose up slowly, peering through her white hair, her eyes glowed brighter and danced with magic essence. Aggression and anger were all over her face and in her body. She raised her right hand, level with her torso, a tiny ball spiraled and formed, growing in size as it rotated above her palm.  
"What are you doing? get me down!" The man was getting quite nervous, he struggled with both his arms, flicking his wrists, but he couldn't move an inch. "Ok! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" The man pleaded for forgiveness, then gasped as he focused on the ice ball, stretch and extend into a mini spear of ice. It cracked and crystalized in strength, making it as see-through as glass, before the magic finished its work, then fell into her hand. She played with it, tossing it up and down in her palm, then spiraling it between her fingers. All this time, she never broke contact from the double imprisoned man. He raised his head high, his eyes looking down in fear, heavy breaths and sighs of dread echoed within the cold walls, as Vianna took the spear of ice and then placed it against his heart.  
  
"You asked for a merciful death. Yet you threaten my life as bait." She gently pushed the ice against her own ice creation and was able to push the spear through the ice shield no problem, not a single crack of ice or a drop of water could be seen. "You're not the only one who wants death after a loss." The sharp tip of the spear reached his layer of clothing, she altered her grip on the spear and wanted to push more.

A huge rattle of the iron cell door stopped Vianna in her tracks, she looked in the direction of the noise."Vianna! That's enough! Let Alexius go!" Leliana caught her just in time before she made a serious mistake. Seeing the bronze shine of the Nightingales hair looked like a halo, it soothed Vianna's anger to see a face showing anger, but the eyes showed fear. As she looked at her friend, the tense magic in her body calmed down, bringing the natural look into the elf's eyes, the anger quickly changed to guilt, and her body finally relaxed. She quickly let go of the spear of ice, as her hand let go and raised in the air, all the ice instantly shattered into tiny shards. Alexius feel on the floor with a huge thud. The ice didn't fly with velocity, instead, they hovered in the air, then morphed into tiny snowflakes, before finally falling to the floor with a delicate sway. Leliana couldn't help but hide her face with her arms in self-defense, only to break her defense to see snowflakes fall behind the iron bars. Everyone remained in their spots, all were silent, only the sounds of the element off fire could be heard again.  
  
"Vianna?" Leliana broke the silence. The elf then went to the cell door, unlocked it and walked out, but she left the door open. She reached Lelianas side, leaned into her ear and whispered: "Get him bathed, clothed, and fed. Then send him to my quarters." She placed the collection of keys into Lelianas hand forcefully. Nightingale let out an inner jolt of discomfort on the impact of the keys hitting her hand. The metal was so cold, it nearly froze her skin as it was forced into her palm, and it really began to sting. "If he tries anything, make him suffer, but don't kill him." The elf then walked away. Leliana stood frozen on the spot, and just looked down upon Alexius, who stared back up to her, cowering in the corner of stone and iron, groping onto his clothes, looking completely petrified.


	6. Time to change for the better

Vianna made it back to her quarters, slammed her door shut and collapse against the wood. She was hyperventilating, she was in shock, and she felt so cold in her hands. Slowly she lifted them to look, watching her fingers all bend, showing cracks on her skin exposing an icy glaze. The mist of cold air hovered over her palms, spreading vapor across the back of her hands. She tried to clench both her hand in a fist, big mistake. Cracking noises came from her finger joints, making her stop hyperventilating just to exclaim a deep growl of pain. She finally got her hands to close, but the pain was too strong, and her magic was so empty and twisted, the poor girl couldn't stand it all as she fell to the floor. The shock was taking over the body. No control over her breathing, too much pain in her hands, the cold was biting at her chest. Her eyelids shut and sealed tight when she felt tears coming, crying would make this even worse.  
  
"You are so lost!" A gentle whisper from a concerned voice.  
"You can't control the darkness that controls your abilities." Two solo footsteps creaked on the floor.  
"Your heart, as warm as when you smile. Now it stings like the cold in your skin."  
Vianna continued to breathe in the same hard, fast, reckless pace. The cold was biting into her flesh, spreading over her torso. She anchor was even reacting with a chillingly short burst of power and sparks. She opens her eyes, to see Cole before her. The whole room stained black, as he stood alone, the shine of the moon reflected off his hat, his lower legs and one foot. The girl wanted to speak, but her speech was held tight by the cold, as was her body.  
"You're not ready for the knowledge! Your study is headstrong, but now your heart has got weak." Cole took two more slow steps forwards.  
"Forget the Fen'theneras." He bent his highlighted knee, head held low. His perfectly circular hat resting like a bullseye in Vianna's face.  
"You have let the light in your spirit go out." The boy raised his hand and reached for the elf's anchor hand. He touched it. The hat suddenly lifted up, six red-hot eyes jumped at the girls face, and a dark, aggressive voice growled at her.  
"Naa him banal'ras!"  
  
Vianna jolted, breathed in deep as she looked at her surrounding with busy eyeballs. It was her room, just as she left it, yet she was still on the floor by the door. She quickly looked at her hands. She rotated them, touched them, examined over and over as she was relieved, but shocked to see her hands were fine.  
"Did I black out?" She questioned herself out loud as she took one more single inspection on the anchor. A small clench of the fist made a tiny green spark in her palm.  
"Shoot! How long was I out for?" She quickly questioned herself as she looked up. She wearily got up to her feet, she looked around her room, before making a small stagger to her table. She maintained her focus as she stared at the red leather box, the same one she showed Dorian. She opened the lid, looking at the same content of the paper and a smaller box, but sat next to the small box was the wolf jaw pendant. She used her anchor hand to reach for the pendant, but she was forced to stop as both her hand and the pendant sparked green simultaneously. She hesitated for a second before trying again, and for the same reaction.  
"You don't like it, do you? Feeling weak without your little enhancer?" She talked down to the pendant like she was waiting for a response. Third time lucky she reached again, but this time a knock on her door made her stop. Vianna quickly shut the box lid and staggered over to the end of her bed. Her legs were still weak, but she's had some strength in her arms to adjust her coat and her hair, then she called out.  
"Come in." The door cracked, it swung open wide, and in the archway was Cole, Alexius, his head hanging low, arms behind his back, and now in different clothes, and Leliana, all standing in a triangular formation. Alexius was pushed into the bedroom, the two companions following close behind.  
"Here he is my lady!" Leliana made the address.  
"We treated him well with your requests. No actions were taken. He chose to remain silent through the whole thing."  
"But he really wanted to say "more butter" during dinner, but he resisted temptation. " Cole quickly interrupted. Alexius growled in shame under his breath at the statement, while the girls just smirked, hiding their sniggers.  
"Thank you, Cole, but that's not that important right now." Leliana eased the blow by stepping in and then freed the mage from the bounds on his wrists.  
"I have removed the memory of everyone in Skyhold of this prisoner, except for Nightingale, the inquisitor, and myself, at your request." Cole stood firm giving his completed task report.  
"Thank you. Erm..." Vianna hesitated.  
"How long was he in your care for?"  
"Only a few hours, why do you ask?" Leliana question the elf for a rather odd question.  
"No reason, that will be all, thank you. " Vianna bid her farewell to her companions. They closed the door behind them, leaving the inquisitor and the mage alone.  
  
Silence filled the room. The man still held his head down, as he rubbed his wrists. The elf just looked at him, but her mind was racing on the question 'where to begin?'  
"I attempt to take your life for a second time." The man finally spoke.  
"You trick me, manipulate me, and even attempt to kill me." The man finally lifted his head and stood with his back straight and chin held high.  
"And yet you have me cleaned, clothed and fed under your gesture. Is this just more tricks to use me as a test subject?" He was not making it easier. Deep down she was feeling incredibly guilty for her actions, but that was only half of her mind, half her heart, half her soul controlling her. If Leliana hadn't shown up when she did, things could have gone much worse.  
"Why do you want me to be forgotten? No body? no crime?" Alexius continued to taunt the elf, obviously, he was winding her up.

"Its nothing like that at all!" Vianna snapped back with a loud shout to the arrogant man. The girls' voice bounced off the stone walls, giving a small echo in the room of her tone. Silence returned again, but hand signs from Vianna implicated she wants to be calm, and she wants the man to be calm.  
"Please. Just take a seat there and let me explain." Vianna offered her hand to one of the two wooden chairs, positioned next to a single table. The stubborn man turned his head slowly, going from the elf to the chair. It looked like he was going to refuse, but then he sighed, shook his head, and accepted the seat.  
"I'm only agreeing to this right now because I can't get the taste of that steak out of my mouth." He walked over, sat quickly, then finished his statement.  
"And that was the best steak I have had in a VERY long time. So... Thank you." Finally a level of respect, it was small but it was something.  
"I do sincerely apologize for my actions earlier. I have not...been myself lately, and I can only say I'm sorry." The elf found the confidence to finally say the one thing she wanted to get off her chest, the apology.  
"Did you mean it?" Alexius snapped in response.  
"I said lots of things, can you specify?" she questioned back politely.  
"You said, "It worked". Did you mean it?" A flow of nerves hit the man as he asked again, putting his finger to his lips, giving it a gentle nibble. The elf let in a deep sigh and looked at the man face to face.  
"Yes, it worked. "It" as in the amulet you possessed did send us to a different time period." The man slapped his hands onto his dropped jaw and open mouth in shock. He shook his head in a form of disbelief, barely blinked his eyelids, just kept looking at the elf. He then released his mouth from the cover of his hands.  
"Where did it take you?" The man stood on his feet.  
"How far back or forward did you go?" He took a delicate step towards the elf on excitement.  
"What happens to me?" His eagerness was hastening his speech.  
  
Vianna was not having him so this again to her. She stood up from her bed, aligned her eyes with his own, clenched her fists and shouted back.  
"You sent us a full year forward in time. You welcomed Corypheus to this world with your precious Venatori. Humanity was on the verge of extinction thanks to Corypheus's demons and darkspawn." Her anger and flashback of what she saw gave her strength to take a step forward, nearly brushing the man chest to chest, maintaining contact with a dark cold stare.  
"You had one of my friends tortured! You turned everyone you knew into red lyrium mining corpses. And you know what's funny? At the end of all of it, your son you tried to save turned into a tranquil darkspawn and you even confessed to me Corypheus couldn't be stopped and WHAT YOU DID WAS WRONG!" Vianna poked Alexius hard in the chest with her finger as she shouted her final five words to him, screaming with fear and dread from the known future she could have had. A stunned startled human mage and an over raged hurt elf mage, both separated the close engagement, both slumping back down into their seating position. The man covered his mouth again and rubbed his complete face, showing he was troubled at the news. Vianna's sudden burst of strength to give her the ability to stand left as quickly as it arrived, but it was enough to make her feel confident to continue.  
"Was there really no way to save my poor boy?" He asked again.  
"There was something else I said to you in the cell I also meant. "You are not the only one who wants death after a loss." I mean it, and I say that because, I know you will hurt, you will mourn, but if you love your son, and if you wish to show mercy, then let him go. Let him die when his time has come. You do not want to know the monstrosity your child becomes." The man listened silently, he was soaking the news in, because he randomly began to nod, in a form of approval.  
The nod turned to him completely lowering his head, arching his back downwards. His face began to scrunch up, then he exploded in tears and sobs of grief, distress, loss, and failure. Vianna observed him, then a small spark of light from the elf's heart that everyone fell in love with ignited. She felt pity for him, she felt sorry for him, and the need to comfort him was too strong to ignore. She placed her arms around the man's neck and shoulders, facing him. she flinched a little when she felt the man attempt to fight back, but he fell victim to the comfort and the soothing relief of the hug, and returned the favor, gripping her coat tightly and sobbed in her shoulder.  
Vianna let the man let out as many tears as he wished. She just kept rubbing his back and kept comforting him. She could feel the tension between the connection of their magic and their emotions finally separating from each other, placing both in perfect harmony.  
"Thank you, inquisitor. Thank you." Alexius was to ally able to speak.  
" Your welcome Sir, " she commented back as she stepped back from the embrace.  
"No really! Thank you! Thank you for making me see the light. For preventing an irreversible disaster at my hands, and for being honest about Felix's future. And most importantly." He paused and took the elf's hand in his own, and for the first time ever, he showed a smile as he looked at the girls face.  
"Thank you for making my darling Livia's work not go to waste." He continued to smile then let out a little giggle.  
" Who would have thought. Something that tore the world into two sides, brought two different people together and become whole in a new world."  
"I know you loved your wife, sir, I am sorry for your loss. Your wife studied the fade didn't she?" The elf made herself comfortable on the floor and allowed Alexius to continue speaking about his wife.  
"She loves the fade. WE loved the fade." His face lit up, he actually looked happy just bringing up her name in the memories he has of her.  
  
Together the two managed to talk and discuss their individual knowledge of the fade, also sharing insights and filling gaps in small theories. The remaining hours of the night faded with the conversations, and dawn was showing its warm colors in the sky. "Inquisitor, I must ask..."  
"Please. Call me Vina." she politely interrupted him with the request.  
"Vina. I must ask you about your previous statement. Whom did you lose?" Vianna paused suddenly and just stared blankly at the floor like her mind was instantly extracted from her skull. Not a though, not a comment, nothing happened.  
"Its a man isn't it?" Alexius said confidently. Vianna looked up at him as he snapped her out of her hypnosis.  
"I am nowhere near an expert or experienced in this field. But that look in your eyes, back in the cell. On my countless nights staring at the face of my wife, on one night when I went to clean my face after a long cry, I looked long enough to see my reflection in the water bowl, and what I saw in my own eyes, I saw in yours. A broken heart." Vianna remained still and looked in disbelief that he got the core issue straight away. Just like she listened to him, she listened back, and now it was her turn to feel the grief, the loneliness, the regret came flooding back to punch her in the chest and through her back.  
"And let me guess, it's the bald Wiseman guy."  
"SOLAS!" Vianna realized she spoke a little too loud, then cleared her throat.  
"His name is Solas. Yes, that is him. That's my Vhenan."  
"And I suppose you intend to use the time magic to make changes for you and him?" He questioned her with a very serious formal tone. Vianna just remained silent for a while, looking back at Alexius and then choosing random objects in the room.  
"Well considering we both lost a loved one, we turned to our dark side. We honestly had good intentions, with bad methods, but were as I nearly destroyed the world, you managed to save it. I'll help you."  
"You will?" It was Vianna's turn to show the light shine in her face at the sudden approval without even asking.  
"But first answer me this. Why did you get your ghost boy to remove my existence from people minds?" A sudden knock on the door stopped the man in mid-conversation. Alexius look to the door and back, while Vianna just listened to the knock and smiled.  
  
"I'll be right back. " The girl confidently got to her feet and walked over to the door, it was nice to feel everything below her waist work again. She reached the door and gently opened it, greeting the person on the other side, before welcoming them in.  
"Vina darling. are you all right?" It was Dorian, making his way quickly through the door.  
"I heard a lot of shouting and footsteps during the night. I just wanted to make sure it..." Dorian was cut off as he suddenly noticed a man, go from sitting to standing and looking very nervous at him.  
"Vina? who is this?" Dorian questioned strongly pointing at the man.  
"Is he wearing my clothes?" Alexius gasped then reached down to touch the fabric of his clothing, only just being informed by this awkward situation. He was about to speak, but Vianna got there first, just in time.  
"Dorian, don't worry." The elf walked passed the stunned charmer and approached the puzzled elder.  
"This is Alec, he was reportedly found by Nightingale's spy's, and they wished to take him in for questioning as he carried the Tevinter banner." Alexius turned to look at Vianna like she mysteriously popped out of nowhere. What the hell is she talking about? "But once I noticed he was a mage, I wished to know more about him, and if he was safe from possession first." Dorian really doesn't know who I am? He kept repeating to himself over and over as he turned to look at his former pupil look at him like a badly dressed stall owner.  
"That still doesn't explain why my clothes are on a different man's body darling!" Dorian lifted his finger up and down like he was marking the man. Still not impressed by what he was looking at.  
"He sadly was in need of some new clothes, and being a proud mage of Tevinter, I thought he'd appreciate the clothing." Alexius felt like he was on a stage performing a joke sketch. Changing names, making lies, wiped the memories of people, now a fashion assistant. What more tricks and jokes has the girl got?  
"Ok then, fair enough Flower." Dorian approved.  
"Nice to meet you, Alec, I'm Dorian Pavus." Dorian reached his hand out for a handshake.  
The former teacher looked at his former pupil, and felt proud of him for making it this far, and making a better impact on the Tevinter Imperium world. They both touch and exchange handshakes, bringing a sudden shudder down Dorian's back.  
"Ooh. That was weird. Say, have we met before?" Dorian questioned the man.  
"Maybe we passed by briefly once before." Alexius took a firm grip of the boy's hand and shook it honorably.  
"Ahh probably. so many people from all over the world in one big place. Will catch on with you soon. I'm in the library mostly, if you need me." Dorian took a few steps backward, aiming for the door, but before he reached it, he indicated Vianna to follow. She walked past the new mage, Alec, and walked to Dorian, who oddly has that puppy dog twinkle in his eyes. He tilts his face deep into Vianna's hair and whispered in her ear.  
"Don't bother with the elderly Tevinter."  
"Dorian!" Vianna gave him a cheeky slap on the shoulder after the comment, before he scattered away through the door with a cheeky smirk on his face, finishing off with a point of the finger.  
"Will pick you later, flower." He spoke out with a bit of a tune behind his words and he left the bedroom, locking the door behind him, Vianna returned to look at Alec. He was still confused, still dazed, and again a few times looked back at his clothing.  
"What the hell just happened there?" The poor man struggled to put the puzzle pieces together as the elf approached him, then also held her own hand out for a handshake.  
"Call it a fresh start. seal with a deal?" Vianna smiled still holding her hand out.  
"I...I don't know what to say..." Alec placed his hand nervously into Vianna's but was confident and happy as he felt a true pact be made as they both shook each other's hand firmly and slowly.  
"Just say "I believe you" when I say I'm willing to help you."  
"I believe you. Vina."


	7. Banal'ras numin (Shadow cry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vianna, Varric, Dorian, and Alec all prepare to get ready for a long journey upon the inquisitor's request. She had a destination to reach, and a task to complete. Everything goes well until someone caught their attention. What started as a simple journey, turned into a rescue mission, then altered into a form of revenge and justice. Vianna wasn't prepared for the unforeseen encounter, but none of her companions were ready for the sudden change in the inquisitor, that literally shook fear into their spirits.

Daylight got shorter, nighttime lasted longer, and the temperature decreased as days drifted away, but the activity of the residence within Skyhold was never put on hold. Vianna finished her occasional patrol walk around Skyhold before everyone started to wake up. She made sure braziers and torches were still lit, all animals were warm and well in the barn and stables, and helped any of the servants finishing their shift. She was just walking through the courtyard making her way back to her quarters to change clothes before she got called over.

"Miss! Miss! I have a package for you!" A teenage human boy charged through the layer of snow on the ground, holding a flat rectangular bag within his arms, holding it to his chest. The two met on the main stairs of the building and exchanged the bag. The lad huffed and puffed, his warm breath filling the air, only his rosy red cheeks could be seen under his large hood.

"Good day ma'am!" He exchanged his leave, then quickly left before Vianna could even say thank you. She took one brief look at the bag, turned to make her way up the stairs and to her quarters. Still unsure of what was in the package, Vianna got quite keen to open it. She got to her quarters and quickly sat on her bed, and began to open the bag. She placed her hand inside, and instantly felt something very soft, she rummaged around and then felt something slightly harder, and a little cold. Unable to take a guess, she eagerly pulled out the content and held it up in front of her to have a proper look. Once she saw the item in full, her jaw dropped, her eyes widened, and then she smiled.

"Wow!" Once her expression of awe passed, she noticed in the corner of her eye a small square piece of paper on the floor. It was a note that fell out of the bag. Vianna unfolded the double folded paper, quickly scanned the words, and smiled again.  
"Bless you, Vivienne! You do spoil me!"

It was approaching midday, and a bunch of the companions started to make a group gathering before the gates of Skyhold. Varric was the first to arrive with a huge backpack over his right shoulder, and Bianca resting over the other. Not long after, Dorian made himself known, coming out of the tavern, with Alec not far behind, both also carrying large backpacks, and Dorian had his staff in his hand.  
  
"Sparkles! haven't seen you all day. How have you been?" Varric greeted the chatty Tevinter men, as they approached.  
  
"Varric! still able to feel your knees in this snow?" Dorian chuckled then gave Alec a nudge with his elbow.  
  
"At least I don't get frozen wine icicles on my mustache," Varric responded with the very obvious rub under his own nose.  
  
"What you talking... " Dorian paused in mind conversation, touched his own mustache, felt moisture, and one tiny droplet beginning to freeze over a little.  
  
"Oh, makers breath!" Dorian turned around and hid behind Alec, who was standing still, trying so hard not to laugh, both he and Varric couldn't hold it much longer. The mumbles and one tiny yelp of pain from Dorian made Alec break in a loud set of cackles.  
  
"Its not funny Alec! I asked you nicely 'Is my mustache ok?' and you lied? Not funny!" Dorian stomped the bottom of his staff into the snow out of frustration.  
  
"Yes, it is!" Varric and Alec replied simultaneously, looked at each other, then both laughed again.  
  
"Did I miss a joke?" Cullen questioned the jolly men as he arrived with two horse reigns in both hands, leading three horses and one greater frostback elk behind him.  
  
"Yeah, me!" Shouted Dorian, dropping his staff, folding his arms and lifting his nose in the air as he turned away with a huff.  
  
"Ignore him Curly, obviously too early to challenge the looks today."  
  
Dorian turned back around then kicked some snow in Varric's direction, making it land on his face. The dwarf just took the shot and shook it off, literally.  
  
"Ok guys! That's enough!" Cullen cut in. He then handed the reigns over to Varric and went to check the saddles.  
  
"Where is Flower then? Has anyone seen her?" Varric asked looking at all the men around him.  
  
"She was doing her routine walk this morning. I haven't seen her since then." Cullen commented, remembering she helped him with some paperwork late last night. The men continued to chat amongst themselves, making sure they had everything they needed, checking their mounts were ready, and then just had to wait for Vianna.  
  
Just when Dorian was getting a little agitated, he kicked more snow and growled in his throat.  
  
"Oh come where is that girl?" Dorian questioned.  
  
"Calm down my boy, she will be here when she's ready. Remember, she has to make... " Dorian then stopped Alec from speaking, by rapidly patting him on the arm, but his face was fixated on the Skyhold stairs. Varric and Cullen were also gazing in the same direction. Alec had to turn to look behind him, gazed up to the stairs, to finally notice what everyone was looking at. Vianna was making her way down the Skyhold stairs, wearing a coat that no one has ever seen before on her person, or at any clothing stall.

It was a beautiful light blue, like the open ocean, made out of some kind of leather. It had a large hood, nearly twice the size of her head, decorated with dragon scales and two dragon horns. Her face and plated white hair were protected by thick wool within the hood. The full length of the coat showed Vianna's figure well, it had a light flow in its movement. As she walked down the stairs, it shined a unique shimmer, as the dragon scales, stylishly designed around her torso and hips, shined in the natural light. The final design feature was when she had her back turned for a brief second, as they could see more scales designed down the spine of the coat, with a realistic looking tail, reaching down to the seam.  
  
Vianna casually minded her own business, carrying her staff and her own backpack across her back, rattling a lot with her movement. She then slowed down her steps as she reached the bottom, and noticed the look on her friends' faces. They all looked at her like her ears had fallen off.  
  
"What's wrong? Something happened?" She asked them all, showing a little confused by their stunned looks. She even looked around and behind her to see if it was something else. Dorian made a quick dash to the girl and instantly started to examine her coat. He grabbed the hood, gently tugged the horns, then caressed the wool. He then moved his eyes and hands down the side of her body, admiring the design of the scales, amazed at the style, and skill needed for the materials used. One final look was needed, he quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, spun her around, to look at the scaled tail, he even picked the coat up off the floor to see the fashion detail the snow was hiding.  
  
"Where the all of Thedas did you find this coat, Vina? It's beautiful! It's been magnificently crafted. And those are dragon horns and scales!" The star-struck man just kept looking at her like she was a painting finally being shown to the public.  
  
"How did you afford it? How Vina? Just how?"  
  
"Firstly, I'm glad you like it." The proud elf did a twirl on the spot, making the coat flare and shine like a snowflake.  
  
"Another special gift from Vivienne, it arrived this morning. Apart from the rams wool, it's all dragon leather and scales. All made from the very dragon that helped us defeat Corypheus, The Guardian of Mythal."  
  
"But she was green." Varric quickly questioned.  
  
"They reversed the cold vulnerability in the leather, to make it cold resistant, and it turned blue in the process. Don't ask me how though."  
  
"Is there nothing the Orlesians don't have or can't do?" Varric questioned as he hinted to Cullen for a boost to get onto his horse.  
  
"I must say it is beautiful Vina." Alec expressed his opinion.  
  
"There is quite a magical essence about it. Study it on our travels, it might surprise you."  
  
"I will Alec, thank you." He too resorted to mounting his own horse.  
  
"Now your here we can get going." Dorian stopped fashion gazing, grabbed Vianna's backpack, aimed to put it on her elk mount, but felt worried when he heard clanking inside the bag. "What you got in here?"  
  
" My alchemy gear. Please be careful. You break it, you are replacing it on our travels. " She ordered, pointing at Dorian with discipline.  
  
"Yes, mom!' Dorian replied sarcastically as he gingerly strapped the bag on the elk as strongly as possible.  
  
" Will you be ok while we are gone, Cullen? " Vianna asked.  
  
"We will be fine. Everything has been very quiet lately, let's hope it stays that way. If something happens we will send a message as quick as possible."  
  
"Thank you, Cullen, you take care of yourself." She tip-toed to reach up to give a Cullen a quick hug. The shy gentleman rubbed the back of his neck nervously but smiled and nodded.  
  
"That is, erm, a lovely coat by the way. It, suites you." Cullen clears his throat nervously, taps the elk gently before walking up the stairway, not turning back.  
  
Vianna smiled sweetly as she watched Cullen dash away, she then looked over to her elk and mounted its back.  
  
"Are we ready guys?" She asked openly to Varric, Dorian, and Alec, all mounted and prepared for a long journey they were about to embark on.  
  
" Ready when you are. " Varric salutes.  
  
"Ready and waiting for anything darling," Dorian commented with a bit of a flirt in his tone.  
  
" Ready Vina. " Alec replied kindly with a nod.  
  
"Okay, guys. Off to Sundermount!" Vianna snapped the reigns, the elk huffed and made a dash out of the gates and started its travels down the paths, only highlighted by caravan wheel tracks, imprints from animals, and a few torches. Varric, Dorian and Alec were close behind their leader, all ready for the long journey in the winter.

All four companions were making great progress as they traveled for over a week, heading north-east. The cold was the only issue the four had to endure, especially during the night, but snowfall and strong gales were luckily limited. They were conveniently forced to make a stop at Orzammar. It was quite easy to find under the cloak of night, as the underground city warmed the ground underfoot, so snow failed to settle. As expected, Dorian did break a number of Vianna's empty vials, after a careless collision between her elk and his horse, so he replaced them, and dwarven forged glass was better for her alchemy. Deep down in their hearts, they were also grateful to not be in the snow for a change. On the night of their arrival, so many citizens recognized them and were especially happy to see the Herald. They became invited guests to dinners, offered gifts of all varieties, even some warriors asked to challenge the mages and rogue to one on one combat, for training, confidence, and something to gloat about, but every challenger failed to get the competitors down to one knee. Two days rest, decent food and warmth were enough for the crew, as they did have an appointment to keep. They just had to request to leave the gifts behind, for the time being, promising they will return.

It didn't take long to eventually reach The Imperial Highway, and sadly that's when the weather was getting a little too harsh to bear, especially for Alec. Since the break of dawn on their first morning on the road, it just kept snowing and snowing. At one point the group had to walk, as the fresh snow was making it uncomfortable for the elk, which was scaring the horses. As the group started to walk beside Lake Calenhad, It got really tough for the men, and this was when Vianna discovered the abilities of her coat, which she wore every day and night.  
  
The rock cliff separating the lake and Orzammar caused a serious wind tunnel, literally taking the breath out of everyone's chest, but Vianna was always walking too far ahead and breathing fine. The men were complaining of the cold biting at their feet, hands, and neck, and had to keep stopping to add more layers of clothing or use up a lot of magic on fire spells, but not one complaint came from Vianna. Every morning everyone looked fatigued and tired, as they failed to get any sleep, yet Vianna never recalled tossing and turning too much and fell asleep pretty quickly. Alec eventually started complaining of severe pain in his back and knees, causing him to seize up and struggle to walk and even sit on a horse. A nasty cough started to develop and tiredness was his biggest weakness.  
  
Two more days went by, and Alec was getting worse. It was by now Vianna figured out that her coat was not only immune to cold but also immune to many forms of paralysis. As a leader and as a caring lady, she was willing to swap her solo coat, for the many layers of cloth, wool, and fur that was protecting Alec.  Vianna raised her arm in the air, ordering the group to stop. She then lifted the same hand higher, reaching to the sky. A beam of green magic escaped her palm, formed a surface and then created a shower of green mist over the group. She used her spell barrier to block the elements for just a few minutes. She got off her elk, then started to take her special coat off.  
  
"Alec wear this please, it will help you."  
  
"No Vina, it's a gift." The stubborn man shuddered and curled like a larva on the back of the house and pushed the coat away.  
  
"That's not the correct answer is it Alec? " Vina got a little snappy at the man.  
  
"A coat is replaceable, life isn't! Now I will say again!" She forcefully placed the coat in his hands.  
  
"Wear. this. please. it. will. help. you." She ordered, waiting for him to say the right words.  
  
"I believe you." mumbled the elder.  
  
"Thank you, Vina, I forgot." The man suddenly went into a coughing fit. Dorian quickly assisted Alec off the horse. Varric was there to hold the clothes as Vianna and Dorian undress the man as quickly as they could, then swapped with the coat. Vianna quickly rushed the bundle of clothing on, feeling a lot heavier and bigger the more she added. Everyone then returned to their mounts. Vianna looked back at her friends.  
  
"Get ready." She held her fingers out ready to click. Once all men nodded in silence, she clicked her fingers, the snap made the barrier quickly evaporated, leaving them back to battling the elements.

Another horrid night, another unpleasant morning. It was a sunny but cloudy morning, there was no snow, but the wind was bitter cold, it caused complications, as Varric tried to read the map.  
  
"We should be at the docks in just under a day. We can take a quick break at the inn there." Varric shouted to the crew as they finished eating some dry bread and fruit.  
  
"Do we have enough coin? " Vianna asked after she sipped on some water. Dorian reached in his back pocket and held up two small money bags and shook em, indicating there was plenty of gold.  
  
"Alec, can you cope one more day?" Vianna asked.  
  
" Yes Vina, this coat is amazing, I feel the paralysis wear off instantly, and I don't feel cold. Amazing craftsmanship indeed! " Alec was feeling a little bit better, thanks to the coat. Physically he didn't feel any issues, but the virus was still there.  
"Good to hear my friend. Right guys let's get going, we can't delay, for Alec's sake." The group got back onto the roads and continued northeast. They could just about see the spire of the circle of mages again, hovering over the lake of mist before they left, so they knew they were not far.

The crew only traveled a few more yards. All the companions were on their horses. Dorian was bored as he was at the back, Varric was yapping Alec's ear off asking him about anything, and brought up his books.  
Everything was going well, but they didn't get much closer to the docks until Vianna had to stop her elk. She looked around like an animal on high alert, then turned to the men.  
  
"Can you hear that?" Vianna questioned them all, placing her finger by her ear. The men pulled on their reigns, then tried to listen, for something.  
  
"I don't hear anything," Varric commented, acting on suspicion.  
  
"Hear what? " Dorian questions the dwarf, obviously he didn't hear Vianna, as he was too busy daydreaming.  
  
"It sounds like music," Vianna spoke with a soothing tone once she realized what it was.  
  
"What can you hear?" Shouted Dorian from afar. Vianna got off her elk and offered the reigns to Varric.  
  
"Find somewhere safe nearby and wait for me. I'm going to go look. If I get lost, I'll signal."  
  
"No problem Flower." Varric tugged at the reigns, leading the elk beside him, with Alec following behind leading his horse.  
  
"Where are we going now?" Dorian shouted shrugging his shoulder and shoving his arms in the air.  
  
"No one tells me anything! " He started to sulk and mumble under his breath as he guided his horse to follow the others.

Vianna took a northern turn off from the road. She took some strong heavy strides through the snow, the mist soon thinned out, exposing a barricade of rock, but the music was coming from that direction. The snow was nearly up to her knees, it kept sticking to the fur coat making it gain weight, but Vianna kept storming forwards. The music got louder as she approached, the mist finally evaporated, making the wall of rock visible, also, a small flicker of Orange light. It looked like a small cave or den, protected by a large boulder of the same rock, the light from a fire could be seen behind it.  
  
"Hello? Anybody in there?" Vianna shouted out as she placed her hands onto the boulder. The music suddenly stopped.  
  
"I know someone is there! Are you hurt? Are you lost?" Vianna attempted to peep through any hole the boulder failed to cover, but she could get no visions of anything, or anyone. All she had to guide her was the sound and smell of a fire. It was definitely a female as a random scent of spiced fruit enter her nose when she got close to the holes, also this person was playing an instrument, a string instrument to be specific.  
  
"Please go away! I don't want any more trouble!" A week defenseless female voice finally responded. Vianna wasn't having it, she wasn't going to leave someone in trouble, or hurt. She wondered if she could fit through the holes, but her figure, with or without the thick layers, was too big for her to crawl through. Time for some magic then.  
  
She took a few steps backward. She lifted her left hand, channeled the magic within her fingers making the anchor react with green crackles. Aiming her sparkling green hand to the left of the boulder, a small green circular spark on the snow formed. With a clench of her fist, then a downward tug of the hand, a pulse of magic created with the fade, triggered the green marker. The downward force tugged on the boulder, making it roll a little to the left, exposing more of the entrance.  
  
Vianna quickly dashed to the entrance just in case the boulder moved. She charged in, going from thick snow to solid dirt, feeling the cold air change from the warm fire, and the first thing she noticed was a handcrafted bedroll of sticks, leaves, and patchwork fabric, it did not look comfortable. Vianna removed some of the fabric around her face, giving her more room to see, she took one quick scan of the circular den, and hidden by the wall, where the light was limited, Vianna noticed an obvious blanket, but it was shaking. Vianna gently approached the blanket, noticing a pair of feet, wearing poorly worn shoes, at the base. Gently she bent down to her knees before the person.  
  
"Hello? I'm not going to hurt you, I'm here to help." Patiently she waited, and soon enough the blanket stopped shaking, two sets of fingers went over the blanket, pulled it down and Vianna saw a very upsetting sight.

A young, green-eyed, blonde-haired elf peeped her head over the blanket, but this poor girl had a deep black eye on the left side, and blood sealed scar, that had a weird pattern about it, over her cheek and across her upper lip. Vianna's eyes fell with sadness, wanting to hug the helpless injured girl, but the moment she flinched her arms up, the girl went back to hiding.  
  
"Please, don't hurt me! I didn't do anything wrong! Please, just go away!" The blonde elf was petrified. Her voice shook with as much fear as her body did, curling her legs tighter to her chest under the blanket.  
  
"Miss, please. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm the inquisitor of Skyhold, The Herald of Andraste, The Dalish elf who defeated Corypheus."  
  
The girl suddenly stopped shaking and lowered the blanket again, much faster, and exposed her entire face, looked at her with a struggle. Vianna then removed the fabric around her head completely and even unraveled her plated hair to give her natural every day look if she was to be noticed. The blonde elf dropped her blanket completely, she stared for a few seconds, before then falling to the floor in a form of prayer.  
  
"Praise the gods, they do live! They heard my prayer!" She spouted, then repeated a few times without moving. Vianna hesitated a little bit but placed her left hand on the girls head. She flinched with such shock on the impact of touch, then she raised her head up, looked at the inquisitor with such joy in her green eyes. Vianna gently stroked her left hand down her hair, to her face, then places her right hand gently on the other side, brushing her thumb across her blood scabbed scar. Naturally, the injured elf flinched from the touch on her broken bruised skin.  
  
"How did this happen?" Vianna then paused and decided to not sugar coat this one. She took one of her fur coats she was wearing and placed it over the girls back and shoulders, then placed both her hands onto the girl's shoulders, looked at her and spoke very seriously.  
  
"More specifically, WHO did this to you?" Typically the girl curled into the fur, turning away with shame.  
  
"It was no one. It was nothing." She said quietly, none of it was convincing.  
  
"Miss. Please don't lie to me. Your a pretty bad liar to be honest. My guess is you were either placed in here and sealed away, or you run here to hide from someone. I couldn't get through those gaps, but you could. That was not an animal, and that was not a normal accident." She points at the scarring again after the girl couldn't help but want to look at the inquisitor as she spoke.  
  
"This happened no more than two days ago, and you don't know how to heal yourself either, the color of the bruising tells me that."  
  
The blonde started to crack. Her lips were wobbling, she took in rather deep sighs on particular words she heard.  
  
"Tell me what happened, and I will help you, I swear it." Vianna took the girls stone cold hand and held it firmly with both her own.  
  
"You truly are a blessed spirit, my lady!" The girl tried to speak and smile as her lips continued to wobble and her hand got shakier. One final deep sigh of breath, she lowered her head and held tightly onto the inquisitor's hands.  
  
"My name is Orana. I used to live in Kirkwall and I was a servant to the Hawke residence."  
  
"HAWKE! The champion of Kirkwall Hawke? " Vianna cut her off quickly.  
  
"Yes my lady! You know who she is?"  
  
"I do. She helped me to fight against Corypheus! It's complicated to talk about, but her close friend Varric is now one of my companions and was able to contact her to aid me and the inquisition. " Vianna was quite happy to find someone who knew Hawke, even in an abandoned den in harsh weather conditions of all places.  
  
"That is such a relief to hear! Master Hawke saved my life, and she took me in as a servant. I lived in her residence with so many amazing, friendly, loving people. I felt like I had a family..." The girl suddenly faded in conversation and lowered her head. She took a single sniff of the nose and rubbed her healthy eye with the opposite hand.  
  
"But when she disappeared with Anders after the chantry blew up, things became horrible again. Hawke's uncle never cared for me when she disappeared, so he got rid of me and those lovely dwarves. I had to live in the harshest parts of Darktown I have ever seen. It was hard. All I know is how to cook, clean and sew. I can't work with tools or craft anything, and who would higher an elf after what happened?"  
  
While the injured girl talked. Vianna had a rummage in a small leather bag attached to her belt under her layers and managed to find a tiny silver box. She opens it, it's content was some kind of milky pink paste, but a strong floral fragrance escaped the tightly compacted airspace. She gently applied it to her finger then reached to the elf and continued to listen.  
  
"This is embrium paste. It will sting, but it will help heal these scars. Keep talking please, you are doing well." She gently applied some of the paste on the scarring. Its beautiful scent swam in the air, naturally, the girl flinched and hissed a bit on impact, but her nose was constantly taking in the smell with long deep breathes.  
  
"without my master, I wanted to get out of Kirkwall. It was really tough, but I managed to have enough money to hire a boat to leave Kirkwall and head south. It wasn't long before someone said there was an inn not far that needed a musician." Vianna continued to help the girl, but a smirk came across her face once she got to this part of the story.  
  
"That wouldn't be "The spoiled princess" would it? " Vianna questioned.  
  
"Yes miss, it was." She hissed at the end once Vianna made the final application of paste on her face.  
  
" Right that should help with the healing, if it goes a bit numb don't worry. " Vianna put everything back to how it was, climbed up from her knees to stand, and pulled the girl up with her, tugging on her hand. Vianna's icy blue eyes gazed like the sky, into the emerald grassy green eyes of Orana.  
  
"We are going to go to that inn, and we are going to deliver some justice. No one is allowed to abuse another no matter what reason, and I'm sorry. You are coming home with me to Skyhold. Would you like that? "  
The girl raised Vianna's hand to her forehead and continuously praised and thanked her in Elvish. Vianna just smiled at her and rubbed her back gently and released the praising hand.  
  
"Pick up your instrument and then we will go find my team and get going." The elf looked at her puzzled.  
  
" How did you know I had an instrument? " She questioned as she completely brushed the blanket away from the floor, exposing a wooden lute. She picked it up, wrapped the blanket around it then clutched it tight to her chest under the fur coat.  
  
"That was how I heard you." Vianna smiled as she went to stomp out the fire then returned back to the boulder. Luckily it didn't move, so both the elves were able to squeeze through and embraced the decreased temperature as the light started to fade in the sky.

Both the elven women walked in snow reaching just under their knees, Vianna managed to maintain her barrier spell again for Orana's sake as she was not wearing enough clothing for the cold. Using the tower spire in the distance, she used it as a marker to move in the right direction back to the road. She wasn't sure where she stood, now was the time to call the group. As Vianna had her right arm round Orana, she used her left, made a small punch toward the sky, a small fireball escaped her fist, shot into the air, then exploded like a firework. Orana heard the magic react, then watched as the fireball exploded into glittery shards of flame, she was speechless at its beauty.  Vianna waited for a little, then repeated the same thing, releasing another fireball firework. Vianna kept looking around in all directions, looking high to the skyline.  
  
'What are you looking for? " Orana asked.  
  
"My signal." Just as she replied, turned her head to the left, she saw another orange firework shoot in the air some meters away.  
  
"Looks like that. " Vianna said pointing at the firework, both the girls wasted no time walking towards it. Vianna gave two more fireballs, both close to each other. One for searching, two for found. Sure enough, she saw the same thing in the sky, knowing the guys noticed, and it was a case of actually finding them.  
  
"I can see a light over there." Orana pointed at a spiraling effect made of fire in the distance.  
  
Soon enough the distant color faded, then a group of shadows appeared, once the shadow formed into the silhouettes of her companions, Vianna pulled in Orana tighter, snapped her fingers, the barrier suddenly disappeared.

At last everyone managed to regroup. Dorian and Alec were as surprised to see Orana out here on her own as Vianna was, but for Varric it was an uncomfortable reunion.  
  
"Orana, you share Varric's horse, I'm sure you two have some catching up to do. And Varric, considering your trying to aid Kirkwall, I'm sure she can give you some from insights." Varric and Orana looked at each other confused.  
  
"Alec, are you feeling ok to carry on?" Vianna was missing her coat but it was nice to see Alec have a bit more color in his cheeks. He nodded silently to prevent any coughing from his dry throat.  
  
"Dorian darling." She called out to him, walking over to her elk.  
  
" What is it sassy Flower? " Despite looking like an overstuffed teddy bear, he still has his flirtatious charm in there somewhere.  
  
" We have some justice to deliver and someone who thinks it's ok to throw his fists around. " Dorian puckered his lips in a circle and rubbed his hands with glee. Vianna reached up onto the elk's back, snapped the reigns and made a quick dash down the road.

As Vianna traveled, she analyzed her findings. The spoiled princess was the closest inn from where Orana was hiding. In her physical condition, not much protective clothing, and with what little personal belongings she had, she couldn't have traveled far. Being on foot makes the travel longer, so Vianna hopes they should reach the inn within an hour. If she said she was looking for work, then the innkeeper or a regular at the inn caused this. Vianna refused to see bloodshed from an unnecessary force, elf, human, dwarf or qunari, it didn't matter. Someone must pay for this sinful act.  
  
With luck on their side, Vianna could see the road as she reached the end of the lake, reaching her first bend in the road for days. The arch stone in the frozen lake, coated with snow was just about visual as Vianna led her companions round the water shoreline, pass the stone walls guardian the docks, then they all came to a stop on the small square patch of ground. The solo wooden dock was abandoned with settled snow. The lake is frozen close to the shoreline. One horse, wearing only a saddle and a single blanket over his hind, was resting in the stable nearby.  
  
All members dismounted and tied up the mounts, all taking weapons with them. Orana was getting nervous and wouldn't leave the horse, but Varric managed to convince her to join him, he just had to promise to hold her hand, as he was the only one she trusted right now. Vianna turned to her comrades and gave a quick huddle.  
"Varric. You, Orana and Alec go in after me and Dorian and find anywhere quiet or discreet to sit. Dorian and I will take care of this." Vianna reached her hand out to Orana and gently patted her on the shoulder.  
  
"Your safe with us. If you see him, tell Varric, ok?"  
  
"I will Miss, thank you." Vianna suddenly felt a hand wrap around her waist, being tugged away. Dorian swooped her up and hooked her to his side.  
  
"Let's deal with this fucker. Ready baby?" He looked down at her with a serious smirk on his face, making his mustache rest on a slant. She looked back with a devilish grin, and a pulsing flare of blue magic shined in her eyes as she looked up.  
  
"Dirthara-ma" She replied with a little excitement.

Dorian stood beside Vianna, still holding her waist, leaned in front of her and opened the door for her like a gentleman. The door creaked open, showing the dim light of candlelit lanterns. The inn was a standard square room. The simple bar was on the right with only a few tables and chairs scattered around the room. Only three people were there: The innkeeper standing behind the bar, an elderly man in rugged robes sitting by the bar talking to the innkeeper, and a man in full Templar armor, minus the helmet sitting on a chair and holding onto an empty tankard. Vianna and Dorian went up to the bar on the far right corner, waited patiently, scanning their surroundings until the innkeeper managed to 'finally' step away from the elder, who was talking too much.

"Hello there, welcome to the spoiled princess. What can I get ya?" There was no enthusiasm or positivity in a single word from the keeper, he couldn't even look at the two properly as he spoke.  
  
"Hey! Barsheep! I ordered my top up before those lovebirds got ear!" The templar interrupted with a loud shout. The words he spoke were so slurry as he leaned against the chair, his head slouched back with one arm resting on the table, the other hanging heavily by his side. The keeper let out a very aggressive sigh, turned his head slowly and looked at the templar with a low brow.  
  
"I told you, you are not having any more to drink! Until you pay your tab, the only thing you will be drinking is the rat piss off the floor!"  
  
As voices were raised, making the room echo, Varric then entered the inn, still holding Orana's hand. She stayed close shuffling through the doorway, and Alec stood behind her, with his hand on Orana's shoulder for guidance and acknowledgment. All three remained close together, taking a seat at the table directly behind Dorian and Vianna.  
  
The keeper then went back to the couple and attempted to speak again. Dorian quickly stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"Just two glasses of wine please." Dorian requested, he remained polite, swift and calm in his words even though the Templar was winding him up. Vianna naturally had a dislike for Templars', but this one seemed like he was The Maker himself. Both tried to ignore him as much as possible but he interrupted again.  
  
"Fine whatever! I suppose I'll just..." The templar stood up too quickly from his seat. All that armor on his body and nothing but air in his head made him fall top heavy, stagger over the chair, then gravity dragged him to one of the walls, hitting the back of his head. The impact from his metal armor echoed, everyone in the room turns to look at him, but he just used the walls for support and laughed. His wide open mouth showed miss shaped yellow stained teeth, his entire jaw covered by untamed stubble. He rubbed his balding head where he hit it, still laughing at his actions.  
  
"Oh get out of here you stupid drunk." The elder shouted out aggressively, his own alcohol infused shaky hand pointed to the door.  
  
"Oh shut up grandpa. What you gonna.." He struggled to stand straight, but his sentence was interrupted by a belch, it was one that made the templar want to throw up. He gagged a little, managed to stay on his feet, take one large gulp and laughed again.

The keeper managed to get a hold of two glasses, and a dark green glass wine bottle. He only just managed to fill both glasses halfway, before he noticed the man that was about to soil the floor. The keeper had truly lost his temper now. He resorted to leaving the bar to deal with the continuous problem. Vianna was just about to leave her own seat to aid the keeper, but then Dorian's hand suddenly rested on her shoulder and she was suddenly pinned down. Dorian leaned on closer to his Flower, placed his head to the side of hers, placed his lips close to her ear and whispered in her ear.  Vianna again tried to leave her seat, but Dorian just applied more force on her shoulder, literally stopping her from interfering with the feud taking place in front of her.  
  
"Don't Vina! He is not a Templar!"  
  
The elf's ears twitched at the words. She remained silent, her nose scrunched up a little in disgust. She then turned her head over her shoulder to look at Orana.

The terrified city elf sat between Varric and Alec on a wooden wall seat, her head low, knees tucked together, both hands clinging onto Varric's left hand.  
  
"Sir Varric. That's...that's the man who hurt me. The Templar." Varric looked directly into Vianna's eyes and gave a single wink with his right eye after hearing Orana. Alec had his hand on Orana's shoulder still, but he was looking with disappointment at the men, who were now starting to shout louder. The keeper was dishing out threats, the elder was just complaining loudly, and the templar didn't know if he wanted to puke, laugh, or attempt to fight. Vianna wanted to do something. Sitting idle in front of any form of conflict was not a part of her duty since she started the inquisition, and it wasn't going to change. She also wanted to see justice to Orana's attacker.  
  
"Get out you darkspawn scum! Get out!" The keeper shouted at the top of his lungs, as he opened the door, and managed to force the poor excuse for a human being outside, into the snow. The door slam silenced the room once again.  
  
The flustered keeper went back to the bar, ignoring the lecturing from the old man, and resorted to opening a dark brown bottle of liquor to drink to calm himself. Orana jumped in her own skin. She nuzzled up to Varric, rested her head on his and began to whimper like a wounded maubari. Fear and shock were hitting its limits for Orana as she showed signs of a panic attack. Alec went into his natural father instinct role and started to comfort and nurture the girl. Varric was rubbing her hands gently as he let Alec continue with the emotional girl.  
  
"Sparkles, Flower. The silver guardsmen, that's our guy."  
  
"I thought as much. " Vianna mumbled. She reached for her glass, and with two large gulps, her glass of wine was empty, Dorian did the same in silence.  After the cheep bitter wine taste left her tongue, Vianna left her seat and knelt before Orana and Alec.  
  
"Alec. This could be dangerous, and in your condition, I don't want any more risks. I want you to take my elk, you and Orana go back to Orzammar and wait for us there. He's stronger and faster so both of you won't slow him down." Alec deep down did want to answer back, but he couldn't deny a fact, his inquisitor put a lot of sacrifices upon herself for him. Why argue and why let all her effort go waste?  
  
"As you wish Vina." He nodded strongly and spoke quietly.  
  
" Varric, your coming with me and Dorian. " Vianna requested.  
  
"Finally, Bianca and I can get some work done!" The dwarf spouted in excitement.  
  
"Sir Varric. Inquisitor. Please don't leave me, I'm scared!" Orana pleaded.  
  
"Don't be afraid. I trust these men with my life, so they will treat you no different. Go to Orzammar with Alec, get some proper medical treatment and rest, BOTH of you, and wait for us to return." Vianna looked at Orana and smiled confidently.  
"I'll come back. I promise." The teams then planned themselves with gear, equipment, and essentials before making their separate ways.

As Vianna made tactics with the crew, Dorian made the smartest, and stupidest decision to talk to the elder. The smart move was; he can get any information out of the old drunk by asking one question. The stupid part was that the man wouldn't let Dorian leave once they got talking. The man was now on his forth mentioning of his younger days looking at sexy females at The blooming rose. Dorian kept wanting to walk away every time the man spoke, but as predicted the drunk wouldn't stop talking. The sassy Dorian, on the outside, was showing a lot of frustration and agitation. His pride for being a happy gay man, forced to listen to the open conversation of a sexist pig, did cause damage a little. The mentioning of treating elves in harsher ways made Dorian hit his peak of rage. He was ready to cast the man out the building in a ball of flame, after being made to feel sick to the stomach, knowing that could have been his delicate Flower.  
  
The drunk made one lousy mistake of touching Dorian on the arm, trying to make a joke, then without explanation, the man fell to the floor. Simultaneously, the keeper fell too, the bottle he was holding shattered on the impact of the floor. Both men then suddenly started snoring.  
  
'What the fuck is going ok? " Dorian questioned out loud in a slow deep tone. Quite freaked out, he made one small step back, moved away from the sleeping man before him, then turned around, and was greeted by the new teams. Alec, Varric and Orana had all evenly shared the warm clothing amongst them and exchanged forms of aid. Alec and Orana grouped up on the left, Varric and Vianna on the right. Varric smiled while opening the inn door, before looking up at Vianna, almost looking proud of her. Vianna, her face serious, yet cocky with a small smirk, was now back in her dragon coat. She held her hand up proudly, fingers resting like she just gave them a click.  
  
"That is so cool. I'm glad that worked." The confident mage decided to walk to the door with a little strut. Dorian followed her as she tugged on his invisible leach.  
  
'Wait! did you do that? " He questioned her in a shocked high pitched voice.  
  
"Sleep. A fade spell under Entropy I've been learning." She confidently responded as she walked back out to the snow-coated ground.  
  
"Why do I always find the intelligent, beautiful, female mages in such a dark, sick world?" Varric questioned himself out loud, yet gratitude and joy were in his eyes and smile.  
  
"What do you mean Sir Varric?" Orana asked as Alec guided and assisted her to ride at the back of the elk.  
  
"Flow...I mean, The Inquisitor, Vianna, is a serious bookworm and knowledge freak. After I introduced her to Hawke, knowing they are both mages, she had to ask questions and trade knowledge. " Varric continue to talk as he received help from Alec to mount his horse.  
  
"Entropy was something Hawke specialized in. Because that class has magic connected with The Fade, Vianna had to learn it." Alec and Vianna swapped bags, exchanged the elf's staff, and swapped mounts. Alec finally made it sit in front of Orana on the elk. He was a little wobbly at first but soon managed to move the beast on the right track.  
  
Varric finished sharing the story, just to sit and ponder for a few seconds on his special friendships. Seeing that sleep effect happen again instantly brought flashbacks of his time with Hawke. When they would spend hours drinking at the taverns In Kirkwall, if it was boredom or too much drink, she would randomly apply that spell to someone. Then he would have to bet against her, to guess correctly if she did it or not. And yes she was honest, even if she was completely intoxicated.  
"That's my girl," Varric spoke out loud, it was an accident, yet no one heard. He just gazed in awe at Vianna, herself was unaware, and Varric felt happy to see his two friends intertwined so naturally.

Alex and Orana bid their farewell to the others, and left first, heading to Orzammar as quick as possible. The wind was cold with movement, and it was now dark. Vianna watched as her elk disappeared in the distance, wishing them a safe journey, then went to inspect the stable. Dorian must have had the same idea, as he was on his hands and knees, inspecting the snow. Vianna went over, stood behind him and observed. Dorian rose slowly, brushed off the snow on his clothing and turned to Vianna with flint of dread in his eye.  
  
"I spoke to that old drunk as you know. He said that templar always visited every two weeks, and spend two to four days continuously in there just to drink. Sometimes he had an unlimited coin, sometimes he would say put it on a tab." Dorian then shifted his eyes back to the stable.  
  
"Sometimes he had a horse, sometimes he didn't, and after seeing it before he left, with those horseshoe markings, I can say it's not his."  
  
"I know when I've seen a drunk man, and I know when I've seen a Templar, and that kid in there was one or the other." Varric stepped in close to the group, adjusting Bianca be his side as she rested in his hand. Vianna scanned over the men, taking in the information.  
  
"Did he say anything else, Dorian?" She questioned him calmly. Suddenly Dorian dropped his staff to the ground, and embraced Vianna with a full body hug, with a bit of a squeeze and lifted her off the ground.  
  
"Dorian, what is?" Vianna struggled to breathe and speak as she felt the strength of his muscles crush her thin torso. Dorian loosened the grip, let her touch the floor, but he kept hugging her. He suddenly got really upset.  
  
"I promise you Flower, I will kill anyone who hurts you for being an elf. No matter what." He softly spoke to her. Vianna just broke the embrace gently and looked at her friend very confused.  
  
"What are you talking about? Why on earth are you say that? what brought this up?" She questioned him.  
  
Dorian shook his head and repeatedly put on a fake smile, then to frowning, and repeated. Trying to stop getting emotional he composed himself and took a deep breath.  
  
"The disgusting man claimed, he saw the same guy at 'The Blooming Rose' roughly two weeks ago."  
  
"That's in Kirkwall." Vianna and Varric replied simultaneously. Varric sounded puzzled, but Vianna sounded shocked. She was the only one that knew Orana's story. It sparked worry in her chest. What really happened to her? she questioned.  
  
"But get this, he said he wasn't in Templar gear. He was dressed like a mage. His horrid yellow teeth and that drunk laugh he had made the old man question if he saw him before." Dorian seemed a bit too excited to explain his puzzle of a mystery, piece by piece.  
  
"Did the old man happen to say what he was up to in 'The Rose'?" Vianna asked, worried about what's coming next.  
  
" He just said he was chatting up a lot of... " Dorian suddenly paused, took a huge gulp and tried again to fight back his emotions.  
  
"...elves. He was looking at the female elves." Dorian spoke with such disgust. He suddenly shuddered as a chill ran down his spine and his skin began to crawl.  
  
"Why did I have to hear that man talk about his time in that horrid place!" A small tug on his stomach made his mouth turn salty as he replayed the words in his head.  
  
" Dorian, it's fine. I'll be fine. " Vianna rubbed his shoulder to comfort him, she wanted to snigger a little, knowing he cared that much about her was touching.  
  
"Name me a woman in any brothel in all of Thedas who can say 'I saved the world from ripping apart' while they are laying in bed?" Both the men broke out in big belly laughs.  
"That's a good one Flower," Varric spoke and continued to laugh. " I'm using that in your book for sure! And as a joke."  
  
"Ok, I'm glad that worked." Vianna giggled back.  
  
"But seriously! Varric, how long would it take to get from here to West Hill?"  
  
"Roughly three days, under two if you had a horse." He said with a sniff.  
  
"And how long does it take to get from there to Kirkwall?"  
  
"In this weather, three or four days."

Vianna went very quiet and very still. She lowered her head, chin tucked tightly to her chest, the hood completely concealing her. Varric went to call her name but he got a swift flick of the hand in his face, hinting and successfully stopping his words instantly. A large gust of wind suddenly hit the trio, swarming around their legs and up through their backs. The two men shuddered in their skin, Vianna lifted her head up and went straight for her horse. Varric noticed something he hoped to never see again. In the small second glimpse of Vianna's face, as she lifted her head, her eyes opened. Varric noticed that cold, dark, dead center open in her oddly stronger blue eyes. The rare beautiful flower he treasured was turning back to that poisonous weed he wished to exterminate. Vianna didn't say a word or even look at them. She pulled the horse with her bag and staff by the reigns. The beast snorted and made a sharp turn. Vianna made an agile jump, making a perfect leap into the horses back, she snapped the reigns, and suddenly dashed away leaving her friends behind.  
  
"Hey wait!" Varric shouted as he watched Vianna just ride off, completely ignoring him. The dwarf suddenly grunted, as he felt Dorian grasp him by the armpits, and hoisted him onto a horse.  
  
"We need to catch her fast!" Dorian wasted no time mounting his own horse and catching up with Vianna as quick as the horse could. Varric soon followed, leaving his question for later.  
  
Dorian exited the stone border and made a right turn. He knew she was thinking of trying West Hill. As he rode his horse at the faster speed blessed amongst the dangerous environment, something made him want to twitch his mustache. The air was bitter cold as he charged faster than the wind itself, but this cold felt like it was seeping through his skin. The whispers in his ears sounded more like crying than howls. With nothing but a tunnel of defending darkness before him, very limited light, he was getting nervous.  
  
"Sparkles!" Varric suddenly shouted behind him. He turned around, only by the sound of Varric, and watch him steer off the road and head in a different direction. The mage quickly followed. They were now entering a maze of winterized forest trees. The snow got thicker from the undisturbed snowfall. Dorian kept cracking at the reigns to encourage his horse to go forth. Suddenly a large explosion was heard in the distance. A flash of light like a thunderbolt was seen in the distance amongst the tree. Dorian cracked his reigns again, but the horse was showing struggle and deviance. The shroud of darkness and snow made it hard to see, so hard that Dorian's horse suddenly rose in the air, throwing Dorian to a soft pillow of snow.  
  
"Get up Sparkles, get up!" Varric was there, brushing off the snow and desperate to get Dorian onto his feet.  
  
"She's over there sparkles! I've got the horse, just go!" Another bang echoed, a white flash soon followed. Dorian got to his feet and picked up his staff from the snow, he struggled to walk or run, the darkness was just as thick.  
  
More bangs, strong enough to be felt through the ground. The flashes shined with sparks of red and blue magic as he got closer. Suddenly he remembered what was said about The blooming rose. Like fuel to the flame, it reignited the fire in his own heart. He ran, he kicked, he jumped, he was getting through this snow, he was going to reach his girl and help her and protect her. More bangs, more lights, more colors, all happening as quickly as he blinked. sound effects were now playing a part in his ears before his eyes finally saw the conflict created.

A small ring of open land, barricaded by naked trees. Vianna stood in her casting stance. Staff held in her right hand above her head. A magic circle rested under her feet, protecting her in a blue magic cylinder wall. Her coat and her hair fluttered uncontrollably within the current of magical power and winter winds. Her eyes glowed as strongly as her ice magic she was casting, as she stared down her opponent. It was the Templar.

His armor replaced with wine red robes, the same color of the magic swarming around his body like a ribbon. He too stood in his casting posture, one Dorian recognized instantly. It's called bloodlust, meaning only one thing. Vianna was battling a blood mage! The blood mage intended to reduce his blood sacrifice and increase his spell frequency, weaken Vianna's shield as quickly as possible, then strike hard.

Dorian instantly charged his own magic, sent his mass of power over to Vianna. The circle beneath her feet shined with a golden gleam, as Dorian cast haste, just in time for Vianna to swing her staff in a cast to form a cone of ice showering from her palms. The blood mage cast his buff and was soon then swaying his own staff at high speed, firing balls of power into the cone, increasing in speed, power, and strength of color with every impact.

The cone was fast, but not strong enough. The shape started to break and decrease in length. The shield around Vianna was still holding up, but the force of the blood magic was making her feet slide away from her standing ground. She then changed her staff posture extremely quickly. The ice cone disappeared, she was now cutting her staff through the air like a sword through a piece of paper and casting ice magic. Together the mage's exchanged balls of blood and ice magic, colliding with each other under perfect precision.

Dorian continued to channel his haste spell, but his focus started to dim too quick. He used up too much physical energy, his level of magic was double the strain. His magic gave him no choice but to stop as he lowered his hands and sighed with discomfort. For some unknown weird reason, Vianna was still keeping up with her opponent, minus the haste boost. Dorian got more dizzy in the eyes as he couldn't adjust to the static speed of magic.

They kept going strong for a few seconds. Vianna, who has barely blinked, didn't miss a step, as the blood mage was starting to slow down. Some balls of ice were now cascading past him at high velocity, hitting the snow around him like target practice.

He fell right into Vianna's trap. He was starting to panic. He intended to use full power first and rejuvenate on the corpse slowly. Because Vianna challenged him to speed and precision, he couldn't keep up with the blood loss, with or without the boost, and the comparison of her own magic. The protective spell was bait to get him to channel his power, so Vianna could hit that one ice-bolt, strike him anywhere, freeze him, make him brittle enough and fail to focus on himself or his magic. With one single full circle swing of her staff, two ice bolt escaped the center battlefield and landed directly in front of the enemy's feet. The impact made the mage instantly lose focus, lost balance, and finally broke the chain of magic attacks. His swirling shield of blood thinned out to small droplets.

"Got you!" Vianna said in a low, icy tone that created no vapor as it passed her lips. Her eyes sparkled like sapphires, fixated on her enemy. He was open for a direct hit. Vianna swiftly switched her staff to her right hand and pointed it at her target. The anchor sparked and cracked in her left hand with a green shine that it looked as if she were holding the veil itself. She clapped it against the staff and a burst of magic exploded from her hands, firing a giant boulder formed by the energy of the fade. The green boulder, filled with crystallized ice, flew rather than rolled directly into the blood mage, shattering on impact and knocking him into the air. The man was sent flying backward until another a strike in the form of a fade-hand sent him up into the air.  
  
Vianna crafted her own hand with the rift magic. As her physical hand punched the air, the spell, veil strike, inflicted serious damage to the blood mage. She changed tactics suddenly. With a shift in the direction of her staff, she created a pulse of fade energy, the pull of the abyss, which tugged the man to the ground. When he was inches away from the floor, she punched him into the air again. Her accuracy and speed were perfectly timed, punching the man down before sending him back up over and over in a dizzying display of power and concentration.  
  
Dorian was getting scared: Vianna was on the edge of killing this man. The cold emanating from her body snaked towards him, riding the wind. The ground shook with each impact. Everything from her hair to her eyes, even her skin, surged with magic. There was no restraint, no remorse, no thought for life as she continued her vicious attacks. Power continued to surge within the circle she’d cast, channeling through her with malicious intensity.  
  
"Vina! Stop!" Dorian screamed as loud as he could, struggling to reach the elf, but this time it was the magic resisting him, not the snow. She continued her assault on the mage as Dorian struggled to walk. Suddenly, a surge of rejuvenation coursed through him, restoring his magic and dispelling his fatigue, even the weather seemed to abate.  
" _I know this feeling,_ " he thought to himself as he took one last giant step. He extended one arm and threw himself onto the frenzied elf. Dorian fell onto her middle, wrapping around her and forcing her arms to stop punching the air. Vianna’s staff fell out of alignment with her target, and she froze in place as the blood man finally fell against the sheet of snow covering hard frozen soil.

Dorian began to shake, not with fear, but with the sting of the cold, yet the elements of ice and cold had no presence within the glowing blue cylinder of magic protecting both himself and Vianna. The cold was coming from Vianna herself. Dorian loosened his embrace on his friend, wishing to look at her, but he threw his head back in shock. It took his breath away as he felt a sharp stab of cold hit his heart, his lips wobbled over his shuddering teeth as he fell to the hypnotic, but a dangerous sight before him.

Her once beautiful blue eyes that shined with light and love, where now a blinding white. Cold, dead, and empty. He felt like he was staring at a stone golem. His hands started to sting to the point where he was going stupidly numb, but he couldn't, he wouldn't, let go of his precious Flower. He just kept staring, hoping he could see her soul, her spirit, but the more he gazed, the more he fell to the stunned effect she was emanating through her core, placing fear and dread in his mind and heart.

"Vina?" He stuttered as he looked, questioning himself and her.  
"Vianna! Talk to me! Why are you doing this?" He managed to snap himself out of it a little to place his hand on her shoulders and tucked lower to look at her at her own height. The pain was starting to grow through him, like ice crystallizing over his heart, his lungs, his stomach, but he was not going to back down.

Vianna made one single blink of her eyelids. Even though her eye sockets were filled with ivory light, Dorian could just about see movement, as she made contact to something to her left-hand side in the distance.  
"Falon’Din enasal enaste." Vianna's voice was like a call of the elements, crystals releasing their call within a hollow cave. The positivity, the hope, it was gone. Her words were cold, toneless, as she raised her overcharged anchor hand and pointed in the distance.

A spluttering cough from the blood mage broke the silence outside the magic circle. The snow crunched under his heavy body weight as he attempted to get up from his resting place, spitting blood and a few teeth from his mouth. Dorian completely turned around, shielding his friend, placing his arms outwards, staff in protective stance as he watched through a window of magic, watching the man struggle to even get to his knees.

Suddenly, the once blue circle transformed into a fade green. Dorian grunted with a huge gasp, looked down on his body, and could see a huge set of green shaded fingers grasping his stomach and lungs. With high velocity, the hand dragged him meters away, in the direction Vianna originally pointed at. Dorian's staff escaped his grasp as the fade shaped hand dragged him through the snow, and placed him quite a distance away. Before the hand released its suffocating grip, a crackling noise of ice, began to crystallize from the ground, over his feet, and up his legs. He panicked as it grew at such a fast rate, restraining him from any form of movement, and without his staff, he was too weak to cast a fire spell. He was now trapped, in a Ring Of Ice.

He still attempted to escape, but as his head lifted up within the rustle of his body movement, he suddenly saw Vianna. She was levitating across the surface of the snow, only the seam of her beautiful coat disturbed the white powder beneath her. Her anchor shined resting at her side, her other holding her staff. Her hair and coat swam with the magical energy of her spell, Fade step, as she approached closer to Dorian. She stopped before him, then turned her head to the right and looked down into the snow.

Her anchor sparked again, bringing forth another creation of her hand from the fade beside her. She re-enacted the actions of her own hand, scooped the large fingers into the snow, and picked up a dead female elf, holding her within the palm of the large hand. The sadly deceased elfs' face was barely recognizable as frostbite turned her skin purple, scars of fresh blood were all over her forehead and cheeks and the clothes she wore were ripped and shredded, exposing unnecessary visible flesh of her body.

Dorian was now suffering inside more than ever. His heart raced with fear and disgust, his mind was questioning "how?" and "why?" not even he could answer his own inner voice. His stomach started to clench and tie into a knot from the grip of the crystallized ice, and the sad disturbing sight of the elf.

"No! Vina...dont say..." The man stuttered with dread and fear, looking away from the frozen corpse and looked back at the dead ice shell of a body, that looked like his Flower Vianna.

"I didn't!" She snapped back, using the same dead cold emotionless voice within her throat. Still, no vapor escaped her lips as her tongue made her speak. She gently placed the corpse back onto the snow, the hand then faded away as it released its grip. She forced the base of her staff into the ground, shut her eyes, and stood completely still. The ground pulsed like a heartbeat, coinciding a surge of magic. It began to rise again before her feet, as she channeled through the cold around her, Winter Stillness was activated. She was restoring her own mana without any effort or lyrium potions.

Tears started to rest the underline of Dorian's sorrow-filled brown eyes. Why was this happening? How was this happening?  
"Vina you have to stop this. Let's just walk away from this? Yes? What's done is done." Either she couldn't hear, or she was ignoring him, but she refused to move or open her eyes. Dorian was in such despair, he couldn't fight back his feelings as a tear fell from his eye and roll down his cheek. It seeped through his skin as it began to crystallize the moment it fell into contact with the air.  
"Vianna Please! This is not you! You would never take a life without mercy! You are the inquisitor, you save people and deliver justice accordingly. This is...murder." Whatever he said in his plea, Vianna reacted to something.

She opened her eyes suddenly. The light shined from them like the sun breaking the dawn on the horizon of a mountain. The magic circle beneath her feet continued to shine a strong green color as the magic around her fell to a sudden halt.  
"Halam'shivanas!" Was all she wanted to say to Dorian, as she levitated again backward. As the distance grew further apart, Dorian felt his magic, his energy literally gets sucked out of him as he watched Vianna's skin literally turn into an ice shell. Somehow she managed to convert her Ice shield spell onto her own body rather than around her. Dorian's eyes fell heavy, his head couldn't stand up straight by the support of his neck. He was on the verge of blacking out. Vianna was draining him of his magic for her own rejuvenation.  
"Vina...please...stop..."Dorian watched, reached his hand out to his best friend glide away, looking like an icicle in the center of his blurred vision, looking at his fingers tips before him, wishing to hold her once more, before his eyes finally closed and cloaked his vision in darkness.

"This is my element, this is my world, this is my life now!" She spoke to herself in a low tone as she left Dorian in his ice cast, and move over to the blood mage, who failed to even reach the tree trunks in the distance.  
"I am the cold, I am the ice, I am the blizzard, I am the snow storm." She wasn't lying, she was, after all, a Master ice mage!

Before she abandoned her companions at the docks, she listened to the elements. She sensed and felt the warmth of blood fall and melt little holes into the inches of snow. She listened to the call of the wind, telling her where this mage was along with the final words of his victim before he took her last breath..." mercy!" That's when she mounted her horse and rode away. At that moment, the darkness in her heart finally doused out the only light she had. He never showed mercy, so why should she? If she was in Skyhold, she would give him the same form of justice then as she wanted to now, Death, by her hand!

The blood mage was on his final thread of life. Vianna's vicious assault gave him internal bleeding. Bones broke at every movement he made as he attempted to crawl through the snow, continuing to spit out blood, groaning and grunting in agony. He could feel the magic energy behind him, the cold chill seeping through his skin shrinking his veins. He started to panic again and attempted to speak, but Viannas ears, as sensitive as they were, could only hear the vibrations and magical hum of her cold magic, inside her body, and on the surface of Thedas.

"You thought because I am an elf, I'm just a little play toy or a punching bag..." Vianna flicked out her left hand, the anchor sparkles, and cracks again, pulling the veil into her hand, wrapping the fabrication of its existence her hand. "...Didn't you?"  
The man fell onto his back after losing his final fragment of energy, exposing his crimson mask over his face, his mouth no longer filled with those yellow rotting teeth.

"Your sick twisted nature failed you, in the name of being a mage." Vianna then placed her hand onto her chest, where her heart rested in its solid cage. Tucked her hand under the overlay of her dragon skin leather coat.  
"I am a master of ice, a master of the rifts, and you were a piece of junk in my home!" Vianna was now standing over the man, her icy blue and white light reflected in his eyes, showing his fear, drowning in his own regret, and horrified at the crystal statue that stood above him. She was no longer an angel of forgiveness, she was now the breath of Death.

"You think you know true power? Do you think you know true strength? You think you know true magic?" She stomped the bottom end of her staff again into the ground. A spray of sharded ice suddenly shot up from the floor, behind the man, penetrating the sharp thick shard ends into his shoulder, pinning him into place. The blood gathering in his throat, he gargled with a painful scream, causing him to cough and spit more blood. Again he tried to talk, but Vianna couldn't hear him. Vianna now had him right in front of her, staring at him like the target he now was.

"Do you know what real pain is like?" As she asked the question, she dropped her staff, then revealed her hand that was tucked in her coat. The green aura within her hand was the strongest its ever been since this fight started. Within her hand, light pulsating through the gaps of her fingers, as she brought out the source of her power this whole time, Solas's wolf jaw pendant.

"The time of enslaving elves died long ago!" She gently placed her empty hand over the man's face, allowing the surface of her fingers to gently brush away some of his cold sticky blood. The man was hyperventilating, going into shock, his heart was beating too fast, literally draining him dry of every drop of blood he had left in his broken body.  
"I will not allow you, any blood mage, any Magister to repeat this unholy sin!"

The man tried to speak one last time, but it was completely pointless, and Vianna still refused to listen or failed to hear him. She couldn't even hear him scream in agonizing pain, as her hand began to glow, the pendant's power was the core of her actions. She wrapped the leather strap tightly around her palm, placing the pendant firmly in her hand and closed her fingers tight, hovered it over the mans face, and watched as she controlled the magic in Solas's pendant, to then make the man's own blood start to burn into his skin. His screams accended in volume, the pain, the despair, and the feeling of the torture-filled air, as he felt his skin burn and singe as Vianna used his own blood, to place a vallaslin on his own hideous deformed face.  
"Fen'Harel ma halam." She whispered, with an unexpected hint of pleasure, as she watched the man struggle to fight back, but it was useless.  
The elf was now at an ultimate high, too much power, too much magic, yet no control, no restraint, no acknowledgment to anything around her other than what she could hear, and what she could see. That sight of the accuser, and the sound of her ice magic.

Vianna was just about to move her hand away, to see the final results when suddenly, the magic from the pendant pulsed with such intensity and strength, it snapped Vianna back into her own consciousness. She felt the pain, it stung, like a knife completely penetrated her palm. She blinked, flinched and shook her hand out of reflex, throwing the pendant out of her hand, but remained attached thanks to the leather strap. The humming call of the magic suddenly stopped ringing in her ears and was then replaced.

"Ar lasa mala revas!" Solas's voice echoed perfectly in Vianna's ears. Her heart jumped into her throat, she gasped as her breath was swiped from her chest. The tall firm strength in her spine suddenly broke and began to curve, as the white aura in eyes began to dim down, returning back to its original sapphire blue. For a few seconds, she looked down and watched her circle of protection fade away beneath her feet.  
"So-las?" She struggled to speak while trying to catch her breath, before she looked up, and looked at the gory disturbing sight.

The man was now dead, drained of his blood and nothing but a bag of skin and bone wrapped in red silk. The ice pieces through his shoulder that soaked up the crimson liquid made it look like red lyrium, sliding down its sharp ridges running to the snow below her. His forehead and his left cheek, now imprinted with blood scars of the vallaslin of Mythal. The only thing she could see in his final moment was the fear he had in eyes, before his light of life finally diminished.

"what have I done?!" Panic made her struggle to breath more.  
  
"Solas? Don't leave me!" She called out to the skies above. The ice shell upon her skin started to shatter and crack, exposing the blue tint of lyrium veins.  
  
"Solas?" Her voice got louder.  
  
"Solas?" She fell to her knees.  
  
"Solaaaaass!" She screamed with sorrow, arching her back, head looking up, opening her arms outwards. The magic she had encased in her body exploded. The ice on her skin flew into the air like arrows from a bow. A powerful explosion of ice and magic domed over her and spread wide across the area, making the tall ancient trees bow out of the ground, making some reveal their roots from the ground. Her screamed continued as the ice she placed upon Dorian, and the blood mage quickly melted, making both bodies fall to the ground like dolls. Once her heart finished screaming for the man she loved, the one thing she wanted, she too, fell forward, head first into the snow, completely unconscious. Silence finally returned to the withered forest, once again.


	8. Deep memories, deeper meaning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Vianna is twisting within her own inner darkness and causing pain and losing control, Varric struggles to keep another victim alive within the blizzard, but someone/something was there to help him. Dorian has been lead to the Fade for a little insight and a secret message, only he had the right to know.

The shroud of darkness and snow made it hard to see. So hard that Dorian's horse suddenly rose in the air, throwing him onto a soft pillow of snow.  
  
"Get up Sparkles, get up!" Varric was there, brushing off the snow and desperate to get Dorian onto his feet.  
  
"She's over there sparkles! I've got the horse, just go!" He demanded as another bang echoed, followed by more color. Dorian got to his feet, picked up his staff and struggled to charge in the snow, the darkness was just as thick. Varric stayed behind and watch his companion blend in the shadow. "Good luck, my friend," he whispered with fear.  
  
"I'm so cold!" A shuddering cry for help whispered into the bitter wind and fluttering snowflakes with unsettled dust. Another female elf had fallen victim to the evil blood mage. The earth continued to shake from the clashes of magic in the distance, pumping fear, panic, and shock within the heart of the weak girl.  
  
"Get up, get out of the snow." Varric throws the biggest blanket he had around the girl, then attempting to hoist her up to her feet. The dwarf showed no weakness, he toughened his body like steel as he hoisted the ragdoll elf over his back with one hand. His other hand, protected in leather gloves, squeaking as they rubbed against the leather horse reigns, increasing in friction with the torque from the horses. The nervous creatures continued to buck, kicking snow into the air throwing the dwarf out of focus. Amidst the struggle he fought to hold on, resorting to using both hands, hoping to pull the horse to his level.  
  
Soon the collision of red and blue magic started to shine nothing but blue domes of light through the gate of trees around him. The horses continued to neigh in fear as the ground created a pulse rather than a shake. The air itself sent shockwaves of magic and power, one of these hit Varric sharply in the chest knocking his breath completely out of his lungs as one horse bucked a lot of snow, making a direct shot in Varric's face. That innocent reflex was the one second that cost him to lose focus on the horses. With a swing in the wind, the horses clashed against each other, pulled Varric to the floor from the brute force. The elf applied weight on his back and pushed him into the snow, as he was forced to finally let go of the reigns.  
  
The weak elf was so small and light Varric was able to move her, giving himself room to breathe. The pulsation within the air kept flowing over his head, like ripples in the water. He struggled to gather his own breath, as he used all his remaining strength to attempted to get back onto his feet, slouched forward with a lot of effort, he grabbed the girls hands, but she was unresponsive.  
  
"Don't you die on me, elf. Vianna will kill me!" No sooner has he spoken, Varric was forced to stop, and listen, to an eerie, loud howl of a wolf. The mysterious call soon multiplied over itself, creating layers of tones and pitches like a choir. Varric felt his hair stand on his neck, but this was different from the cold snow he's had to get used to. Something was watching, lurking, playing hide and seek within the shadows. Varric attempted once more to place the girl over his shoulders, keeping her wrapped warmly as much as possible, as his keen eye looked out for this shifty stare he struggled to detect. Varric was getting nervous, and a little claustrophobic. As he managed to recover Bianca before the snow completely cloaked over her, the magical pulsations thankfully stopped, but the shadow was suffocating him around his throat, the cold grasped at his chest, and the howls screwing with his mental focus.  
  
" _Varric..._ " A telepathic whisper echoed in the dwarf's mind. He spun around, holding Bianca within his quivering hands and weak arms, as he began to freak out. He turning to look behind him, only to stare at a pack of black wolves. All their eyes glistened like stars in the sky, Warm breath escaping their noses and mouths as they hummed a low growl with small sniffs, and their matted fur decorated with the gentle spray of snow.  
  
" _Let's go_." The voice enters Varric's mind again. The dwarf wanted to freak out and question this weird experience, but he oddly had no willpower to-do so. Like commands given to a soldier, Varric lowered Bianca back to the floor, adjusted the girl with caution and protection, then placed her on the back of one of the wolves as the beast approached. Once mounted, the creature quickly dashed off through the cloud of shadows, before Varric even had his chance to mount a black wolf himself. Varric's sudden regain of consciousness kicked in, freaking him out again causing him to latch onto the wolf's mattered fur for dear life.  
  
" _Relax...friend.._." One final gentle whisper echoed in the mind of Varric, another command delivered, as Varric suddenly got very tired. Not even his fingers succeeded in holding the wolf fur any longer as his eyelids fell shut with such weight.  The wolf nuzzled his nose in the snow, grabbed hold of Bianca's handle in his jaws, then followed the pack in the same direction, away from Vianna, Dorian and the blood mage.  
  
" _She's....safe..._ "

* * *

Dorian's eyes fell heavy, his head couldn't stand up straight by the support of his neck. He was on the verge of blacking out. Vianna was draining him of his magic for her own rejuvenation.  
  
"Vina...please...stop..."Dorian watched, reached his hand out to his best friend as she glided away, looking like an icicle within his blurred vision, seeing his fingers tips before him, wishing to hold her once more, before his eyes finally closed and cloaked his vision in darkness. Imprisoned in his cage of ice, Vianna was free to twist her mind, feeding off her own negativity, morphing into the pit darkness driving her to insanity.  The hidden secrets from the well began to feed this vessel of the void, bringing her magic levels beyond her own control. The lost soul began to toy with her own magic, abusing the power, with no one, or nothing to stop her.  After minutes of abuse, the powerful explosion of ice and magic that domed over Vianna, spread wide across the area, making the tall ancient trees bow out of the ground, making some reveal their roots from the ground. Her screams continued as the ice she placed upon Dorian and the blood mage quickly melted, making both bodies fall to the ground like dolls. Once her heart finished screaming for the man she loved, the one thing she wanted, she too, fell into the snow, completely unconscious. Silence finally returned to the withered forest, once again.  
  
"Dorian." A gentle whisper echoed against a black page. It had pain in its tone.  
  
"Dorian?" Again, another call, with concern and a puzzled gesture altogether.  
  
" Dori-" The voice failed to continue, as Dorian interrupted the call with his own. Eyes shot open, a huge scream for Vianna left his lips, before filling his empty lungs with desperate breaths of air. Confused, dazed, attempting to break away from the shock, the overstressed mage looked around his surround. His visuals made him panic and rush to his feet. He was in the fade. He didn't know where exactly, but it was nothing like the place he should be seeing. The snow was replaced by uncut green grass sprinkled with wildflowers. The ring of trees no longer cowered over him, but a wall of stone and two Halla statues centered on a lake instead. The harsh blizzard winds felt like a spring breeze, all was so quiet and peaceful.  
  
_"What is this place?"_ Dorian questioned with demands for an answer as he continues to look around.  _"Why am I here?"_  
  
Without warning a sudden spark of a bright light presented itself out of nowhere before him, making him shield his eyes from the blinding brightness. Once it dimmed, Dorian removed his hand from his face and watched. The free aura of light became more solid and compact and began to form the shape of a spirit of the fade.  It stood before the male for a few seconds, before another surge of light began to morph its essence into a more solid form. That form was Vianna. Every unique detail about her was replicated as she stood with her hands behind her back, head tilted slightly with a gentle smile on her rose pink lips.

  
  
  
  


 

  
"Hello, Dorian. Thank you for coming here, friend." She looked like her, she was dressed like her, the voice was the same, the warm gentle smile accompanied with beautiful sapphire eyes, it was too good to be true.  Dorian shook his head to snap himself out of his hypnotic stare, swiftly changed his posture into a defensive stand, but the mage quickly realized he wasn't holding his staff, nor could he find it. A rush of panic and worry flooded over the agitated man once again, but this just made the girl before him laugh.  
  
"You are so funny!"  
  
"Enough!" Dorian snapped and slammed his foot to the grass, clenching both his hands.  "You're not my Flower, you can disguise yourself all you want spirit, but I'm not falling for it!" staff or not, the man lowered his brow, ruffled his mustache, and channeled his magic within his palms, preparing to attack.  
  
"Your right, I am not your flower." The girl gently placed her right hand over her heart.  "But I am a part of her. I have been looking forward to meeting you, Dorian Pavus of Tevinter." The girl ended her formal greeting with a small curtsy.  
  
"How do you know my name! Answer me!"  
  
"Vianna told me all about you," the mirror image of Vianna began to make graceful steps towards Dorian as she continued to speak.  
  
"She arrived with aid to put an end to your misdirected mentor.  You both broke a law of magic by passing through a time portal together. You befriended each other so quickly, you needed her to seek the courage to confront your father."  Each statement, followed by a solo step, yet Dorian didn't move, or speak, and failed to channel his magic to its limits.  He just stared into the face he missed seeing so much. A soul of light, A heart filled with love, an inspiring role model, and always putting others first and showing they matter, no matter what race, age or sex.   
  
"Yes you did flirt, but that's just your way of opening up to people, isn't it? And in the end, you finally found something you longed for, a true friend." The spirit reaches for Dorian's right hand, breaking the stance he remained in, her motion wished to touch his olive skin, no contact was made, but Dorian eased the tension in his muscles and lowered his arm with the spirit.  
  
Dorian didn't dare speak. No physical connection was made or felt, but the presence and movements made it real. If he attempted to break the seal of his dry lips, the tears he's struggling to fight back will come forth, soon followed by sobbing whimpers. He tried to tell himself, _"be on your guard"_   yet the shade of blue from Vianna's eyes seeped into his soul, washing him away from an ocean of purity, serenity, and...  
  
"...Hope!" Both voices spoke out simultaneously. Dorian sealed his lips again instantly, but the wobbly lip had broken free, bringing him to blink a tear away.  The man once filled with despair fell to his knees within the grass, holding his head high so he could still look at spirit-Vianna, scared that if he made one blink she will vanish.  The wobbly lips broke again, sobs of deep emotions made the man struggle to breathe in as more tears fell from his eyes.    
  
Spirit-Vianna wished to caress her hand across Dorian's cheek, to wipe away his tears of pain. Instead, she adjusted her majestic golden clothes and sat in the grass before Dorian, continuing to smile and stare deep into his eyes, flooding with tears. She was feeling the strong connection that Vianna had for the mage sitting before her. Where her heart would be, it felt like it was going to explode, and she just wanted to embrace this man and feel the friendship, but it was not possible. Instead, she gently placed her hands in her lap, watching as Dorian began to calm down.  
  
"I am titled, and named, Spirit of Hope. I am the light that still keeps your precious flower blooming, even in the coldest, darkest places."  
  
"Where are we?" Dorian finally found the strength to speak, wiping away his tears, sniffing a few times and then taking a proper look at his surroundings with a calmer heart and a sharper mind.  
  
"We are in Crestwood. A place of memory, happiness, love and inner peace. The veil is weak here, but I keep it protected from negative spirits, seeking its weak doorways to the world of the living."  
  
Dorian couldn't resist, and reached his arms out to the spirit form of his friend, wishing to embrace her, but the spirit recoiled. _"_ _Stupid Dorian, letting your emotions overlook the laws of the fade, and the spirits."_ He mumbled in his head.  
  
"Its ok Dorian. I know you want her back, but," the spirit paused talking, lowered her head and shook it with disappointment, then rose to her feet.  
  
"But what? Please help me. If you are a part of her lost hope, you must know something?" Dorian rose with the spirit, holding his hands out before her hoping she will give him some answers, or any aid at all.   
  
"I can't say too much, I promised her I wouldn't.  But there is something you need to see."  The spirit looked to her left, pointed to an area close to the lake.  As she pointed, a small cluster of wisps appeared out of nowhere, floated in the air, reaching a particular spot by the lake.  More wisps began to develop, clustered together then formed a mirror image, a memory. It was Vianna, standing close in front of Solas.  The voices were distorted at first, Dorian had to walk closer to listen while spirit-Vianna stood behind him at a safe distance. Soon enough the voices became clearer within his ears, he managed to detect Solas's words, he was complimenting Vianna and praising her for her strength and her spirit.  This made Dorian a little agitated, knowing that soon enough Solas was going to say something Vianna didn't want to hear.  
  
"Calm down Dorian,"  The spirit-Vianna accompanied him at his side, "and wait." Dorian turned to the spirit, hoping to come back with a sassy remark, but yet again the purity within the blue eyes made his words pause in his throat, restoring to continue to watch the memory.  He watched as both the elves sat down together, Solas placed his hands in front of Vianna's beautiful face and watched as a blue light embraced her face from Solas's palms, removing her vallaslin. Now Dorian watched with disgust as he heard Solas's voice echo _"you are so beautiful"_   to his Flower. He just spat some saliva onto the ground.  _That's for your face!"_ he said in his mind as he watched his precious Flower embrace in a soft passionate kiss.  Soon enough Solas broke the intimacy and then mumbled something about _"distracted her from her duty"_.  
  
"what in the makers light does that have to do with love?" Dorian shouted out with frustration, he looked to spirit-Vianna, but obviously, there was something he was over-looking or not understanding, for spirit-Vianna was crying. Her face was still, unchanged, yet her eyes were shedding tears.  Tears of recessive memories perhaps? but if shes Vianna's Hope, then why is she crying?  Dorian looked back to the memory, but his jaw just dropped, while his voice stuttered to talk as he watched Vianna plea to Solas her love for him, and yet he walked away, never turning back and leaving Vianna behind. The memory of Solas dispersed and faded away out of the frame of the memory, while Vianna stood there staring at her love as he walked away.   
  
"Flower...I..."  Dorian spoke quietly as he had no choice but to watch. Vianna remained silent for quite a while, then she turned away, walked over to the lake, kneeled down, and looked at her new face, but she just swiped at her reflection in the water and started to cry. Dorian wanted to walk closer to the memory, but he was stopped in his tracks when a very negative, evil laugh cackled and echoed within his surrounding.  
  
"What is that? Spirit?" Dorian asked spirit-Vianna, but she remained silent, and just pointed back to the memory.  The lake surface began to ripple and turn white, but underneath something with causing a stir, bringing bubbles to the surface.  Vianna scurried backward in the grass as the bubbles concerned her, and before long, something came out of the water.  A vessel of ice rose from the waters, holding something dark inside, whatever it was it was not good, as Vianna quickly got to her feet, but noticed the anchor was reacting to something, looking at her hand, then looking back to the ice vessel.  As the spark in her hand increased in static, the ice vessel began to crack, finally shattered, exposing what it was hiding, a Demon of Despair.  
  
_"Oh no! She is in a place where the veil is weak. Her despair attracted a demon! The anchor must have helped him form!"_  
  
"Fight! Flower fight back!" Dorian shouted to the memory as he watched the disgusting demon, covered in tattered black cloth, with only its hideously long teeth visible under its hood, hover in the air and approach Vianna, yet there was no sign of attack from either.  _"Oh Maker, please don't tell me she is secretly possessed!"_ Dorian wanted to say and do so much, but none of it mattered now, as this memory was etched in time and the Fade.  
  
Vianna remained still, almost allowing the demon to get close to her. Her face raised high with the moisture of her tears shining off her cheeks, her mouth sealed shut, eyes barely open as she gazed upon the demon as it snarled and 'spoke' in its screeching tone.  The demon suddenly showed aggressiveness, by raising its arm above its own head, forming ice magic in its hand.  One final screech of despair escaped the mouth of the demon, ready to attack, and possess the mage.  
  
"Emma banal'ras, mir vhenan athlan ar," Vianna spoke her final words, as the demon lunged his arm toward her, but something stopped it. It was like an unbreakable shield of light suddenly protected Vianna's body from harm, making the despair demon retreat across the surface of the lake and flail in pain and discomfort.  This made it angrier and attempted again, the shield also re-appeared again, but it stayed in position rather than disappear of impact like before.   
  
Just like how the spirit of Hope formed before Dorian, the same thing happened again against the echo of Vianna's body.  She stood still, arms out by her side, head tilted back looking to the sky. The light poured out of her skin, her eyes, her mouth, her fingertips, gathering in the strength of brightness and solid matter around Vianna.  The light released itself from the shape of her body rose above her head and quickly manifested into the shape of a woman spirit.   
  
"Begone! there is no Despair here, only Hope!" The spirit spoke through Viannas voice, as her lips recited the words.  Together both of them raised the hand containing the anchor, aimed at the demon of despair and launched an attack, making a direct hit.  The anchors magic ripped through the shredding cloth of the demon, tearing a hole in its torso, hitting the weak opening of the veil behind it.  As the demon shriveled under the impact, the anchor continued to repair the weak point of the veil, sucking in the demon, now reduced to a tiny ball of black cloth, before eventually disappearing with the veil sealed, for now.

Vianna fell to the grass onto her bottom, she sat up as the spirit of Hope separated from the mold of Vianna's body, hovered over her then stood before her to look into her eye's.

 "Mala las na soun. Tel'numin mir'len. Mala lath vir suledin. Irassal ma ghilas, mala lath na sumeil." The spirit spoke with such purity, Vianna suddenly calmed down, releasing a heavy sigh, her shoulders relaxed.  Together both the woman reach their hands out to each other, palms face up.  There was no physical contact, but something connected between the ice mage and the Spirit of Hope, forming a ball of light between their hands.  Vianna began to glow the same holy light of the spirit, then in the blink of an eye, the spirit vanished, with the memory soon disappearing after the shining moment they shared.  
  
"That was how I was born."  The spirit broke the silence after the memory faded away.  "She gave me all her Hope, for it to remain safe, with me."  
  
"Why couldn't you just tell me all this?" Dorian questioned.  
  
"As I said, I promised not to tell anyone, but I felt you need to see what happened to your Flower, and my apologies, but I am unable to translate the conversation for you."  She positioned herself before Dorian, but now the facial features of Vianna were beginning to fade away, and show the spirit in its original form.   
  
"Your changing,"  Dorian stated, almost completely ignoring the message.  "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Your time here is coming to an end, friend. The memory has weakened me, and, Somniari na then."  
  
"What does that mean?" Dorian asked as he watched Viannas face disappear, exposing only a mass of light and wisps holding onto a skeletal structure.   
  
"You must go, now! Until we meet again, Friend." The spirit made her farewell as she drifted away from Dorian, holding her arms out wide at her sides, before her solid form once again broke apart into tiny wisps of light, making flight in all directions.  As Dorian watched, he felt his mind being pulled away from the fade, regaining his consciousness back into his physical body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emma banal'ras, mir vhenan athlan ar - Within the shadows, my heart calls me.  
> Mala las na soun. Tel'numin mir'len. Mala lath vir suledin. Irassal ma ghilas, mala lath na sumeil - Your hope is strong. Do not cry, my child. Your love will endure. Wherever you go, your love is close.  
> Somniari na then - The dreamer is awake.


	9. rejuvenation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a very intense, magic, mystical event, our heroes managed to make a safe swift trip to Kirkwall. Some events are still fuzzy, others offer more questions than answers. But who would expect someone like Vianna to just "wake-up"? No one did.

"I believe he is waking up."

"No, he isn't, you must be seeing things."

"No really! Look! His fingers are twitching."

"Look he isn't...oh my goodness! your right, He IS moving. Quick, go find master Varric, he must know at once."

"Yes, right away."

A lot of unknown voices were heard, along with the sound of a door opening and closing, as a very weak and drained Dorian managed to twitch his fingers on his right hand, attempting to move it. A small moan was heard from his throat as his head began to turn to the left, eyes reacting to the dim light from his surroundings through his closed eyelids. He attempts to open them, but they were too heavy and tender to fully open. His eye-balls were covered with a sticky glaze making his sight extremely blurry, giving him limited focus, but he managed to see the flicker of a small group of candles on a bedside table, giving the room he was resting in a warm orange glow. He raised his arms above his head and let out another small moan of pleasure as he enjoyed a good stretch, turning his head to the right, blinking again a number of times, before he was suddenly presented with an unknown face, pressing in a little too close to his.

"Makers breath!" He shouted, startled, recoiling out of shock, blinking again rapidly to try and see the stranger. She too leaped backward in her chair, startled from the jumpy human. A blue-eyed brunette female elf, covered with bandages over her head and across the left side of her face, her right arm in a sling was keeping an eye on the human, yet she had a smile on her face despite his sharp shock.

"You are awake, finally you are awake! Oh, this is such good news. How do you feel sir?" she asked as Dorian attempted to sit up in his bed, showing the pain in his body on his face, a lot of discomfort from his lead-heavy head and sticky eyes. She helped him as best as she could, one armed, adjusting his messy pillow, and covered up his bare torso with the blanket. She then left her chair and walked over to a small table, reaching for a clay jug filled with water and started pouring it into a tall glass.

"Well my head feels like a qunari is sitting on it, my eyes are sticker than a mabari's slobber, and I- ugh I just feel terrible." Dorian raised his hands to his face and rubbed all over his features, pressing his fingers into his eyes and rubbed as much as he could, followed by more rapid blinking, but his vision still had a blur he could not budge. He ran his fingers through his bed-head black hair, slamming his hands into his lap frustrated and tilted his head back into the pillow with a sigh, but he was grateful to feel the elf help place the glass of water in his hand. He placed the glass to his lips and gulped down the refreshing crisp cold water very quickly, exhaling a noise of satisfaction at the end. Once empty the elf took the glass away to refill it.

"How long have I been out?" He asked rubbing his temples again.

"It's been five days now sir." She replied, holding another freshly filled glass of water.

"Five days?! Makers bre...ouch!" Dorian lunged forward a little too fast, making his heavy head go all dizzy and apply more pressure pains to the temples he just attempted to ease away.

"Careful sir, you still need to rest." She waited for him to relax and placed the glass back into his hand, again he quickly drank it.

"Five days and four nights to be exact sir, but it has been three days and nights since you arrived here." She took the empty glass away again, resorted back to filling the glass again, also presenting a small plate with a sandwich on it, she placed it gently into his lap.

"Here is some food sir, it's just a sandwich."

The thought of food made Dorian blink rapidly again as he just about saw a small baguette surrounded by something green. The smallest scent of food went straight up his nose, making him hungrier than he realized, and he didn't waste any time putting as much food as he could into his mouth. Another moan of pleasure was heard as he chomped on the combination of bread, meat, and cheese coating his tongue, filling his mouth with more food before he even finished chewing and swallowing. The girl sat back down on her chair and smiled as she watched the man gorge, on what was her lunch, but seeing him enjoy it was more satisfying for her right now.

"SPARKLES!" The door waved open, allowing the midday sunlight beam into the dim lit windowless room, shining directly on Dorian as he sat in his bed. The blinding light along with a very excited, loud, familiar voice made Dorian choke on the food in his mouth. He spat it out in reaction, but the elf quickly responded by patting his back, making sure he was okay before rushing back to give him more water. Varric dashed into the room and rushed to the bed, and threw his arms around Dorian's neck.

"Thank The Maker your awake!"

"Varric! I'm *cough* still choking *cough* here!" giving swift slaps on Varrics back, indicating he was holding him too tight. Varric quickly retreated with his arms in the air, but he was too relieved to see his companion awake and talking, and considering what had happened, he was happy to hear he was still his normal witty, blunt attitude self. He reached for an unoccupied chair from the corner of the room, dragged it next to the bed and sat on it, leaning in close to his friend as Dorian continued to cough a little, banging at his chest to dislodge the food. The door was closed silently from another female elf, who went to alert Varric of the good news, holding a couple of lyrium potions carefully placed in a small wooden box. The brunette elf waited for Dorian to breathe again before placing the glass of water back in his hand.

"Ladies. Could you excuse us please?" Varric asked both the elves. The bandaged brunette nodded, taking the plate away from Dorian's lap and placing it on the table, and picked up the empty jug. The other bowed also, gently placing the box of potions onto the table. Both walked out one after another, gently opened the door and left quietly and quickly. After they left, Varric took the empty glass from Dorian, went to the table and picked out one of the lyrium vials, flicking off the cork with his thumb, then placed it in Dorian's hand.

"Its lyrium, Sparkles, so don't chug this down too quickly." Dorian rubbed his eyes with his unoccupied hand, blinked some more, and a little sigh of relief and a small smirk lightened up his face as he began to regain some sharp focus in his eyes, and was finally able to see Varric in more detail as he stood by his bed with a gleaming smile on his face, bringing a smile to his own. He lifted the vial to his lips and took small repetitive sips. It made his skin tingle and feel alive again as he shuddered from the magical sensation running down his throat, giving him goosebumps and making his hair stand on end. Varric sat back into his seat and waited.

"Damn I needed this! Thank you, Varric. I don't know what I'd do without..." Dorian's eyes suddenly shot open, the widest they have been since he awoke like he had no pain or struggle at all. He suddenly threw the lyrium vial to the floor, shattering on impact, reached for Varric and grabbed him by the seams of his open chest tunic and pulled him close to his face, nose to nose.

"Vianna! Where is Vianna? Varric, is she alive? What happened?" Dorian got too aggressive after memories of what happened suddenly flashed before his eyes and in his mind like it only happened minutes ago. He tugged a little too hard on the clothing as he repeated: What happened? Varric took Dorian's hands in his own, eased the strong grip off his clothes and used them to force him back into the bed, but Dorian threw them off of him and slammed his clenched fists into the blanket beside his hips.

"She is alive!" Varric answered quickly.

Dorian placed his hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat increase in speed within his palm, trying to calm his small quick breaths, finally knowing his Flower was alive. He truly did fear the worst, because the last time he saw her, she was completely lost. Flashbacks of the cold look in her eyes, echoes of her heartless words, knowing that she was so lost in her own body and mind not even he could snap her out of it. There was nothing he could do, and it made him feel weak as a person, and a sad pathetic excuse for a friend.

"Where is she? I need to see her, please." Dorian rubbed his eyes one last time, again blinking, and he was willing to accept what he could see, for now, hoping the combination of water, food, and lyrium would kick in soon and completely regain his sight and strength. Removing the blanket off his bare legs, he attempted to get out of bed. His legs still felt like jelly, but nothing was going to stop him now. He dangled them over the bed and wiggled his toes, span round his ankles, gently placing his feet on the floor and attempted to stand, but his upper body weight was still a little too much for his lower legs to handle, as he slumped back onto the bed.

"Take it easy, you've been asleep a long time, you need to get your strength back. Vianna is safe. Don't make yourself worse, okay? " Dorian huffed, but nodded silently, knowing the dwarf was right. He was just being an eager stubborn man right now and just wanted to see his friend. He didn't even care that he was just in his underwear. Varric left his seat and retreated back to the corner of the room. He opened a drawer and picked up Dorian a set of clean clothes, all smelling of fresh air and clean cotton, folded in a neat squared bundle. He placed them on the bed and took a step back.

"You okay to get dressed?"

"I should manage, thank you."

Varric made his way to the door, turning his back to Dorian to give him a little privacy and waited for him to get dressed. Dorian did grunt and huff a few times within the struggle, but every time Varric looked over his shoulder, reminding Dorian that he is there to help, and just to make sure he was all right, he was ordered to 'look away' every time. Varric just shrugged to every comment, but it kept putting that smile back on his face hearing him speak like nothing bad ever happened. Dorian was finally able to stand on his feet and was quite happy with his fresh set of clothes. He looked stylish in a navy blue robe, perfectly fitted on his torso and waist, cut off by his knees. His left arm was fully exposed with a firm strong collar sticking up across his right shoulder curling round half his neck. A creamy white sash crossed his chest, from his right arm, down to his waist forming a belt, and a pair of tailor-fit trousers of the same color all accompanied with accessories of leather shoulder pads, boots, belt buckle and bright blue twisted silk twine resting against his left hip. Once Varric got the all clear, he took a deep breath, exhaled out loud and prepared himself for what he had to say. He took the chair the elf was using and placed it back at the table, offering it to Dorian to take the seat while he collected the other chair, and placed it against the table, and sat opposite him.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed, going downward, as Dorian and Varric sat opposite each other. Whenever this happens it usually means something is "bad" but really nothing has been "good" since they left Skyhold. Dorian continued to sip on his lyrium, feeling the rejuvenation and re-fill his magic and energy, but he was going to need more than blue liquid to perk him up.

"So, go ahead Varric, fill me in." Placing the lyrium bottle on the table, he made himself comfortable in the chair, placing his right arm on the wooden backrest.

"Well first things first. We are in Kirkwall. We arrived here three days ago, both you and Vianna were transported unconscious, but thanks to our Flowers' name and reputation, there were plenty of people willing to help us get here as quick as possible while making sure both of you were safe. They wouldn't even accept gold, how about that."

"What happened in the forest? After the storm?" Dorian paused for a second and tried to remember the tiny moments. He knew there was a fight, he knew Vianna had full control of the situation, that was until she fell too deep into her magical chaos.

"Honestly I do not know Sparkles." Varric rubbed his temples with confusion, then a little embarrassment struck him in his heart, bloomed a red tint into his cheeks.

"I did my best to stabilize the horses, I was trying to save another female elf in the wilderness, but it was just too much. But then, out of the blue, I was confronted by a pack of wolves, all of a sudden, I heard...voices, but that's where things go blurry for me."

"Voices, ey?" Dorian slipped in with a smooth tone of voice.

"Yes, voices. That's the bit I'm still thinking about to this day. But that's not important right now, what IS important, are these voices suddenly 'commanded' me to turn to the wolves as a form of aid. They rescued me and the elf. The next thing I know is I'm laying on the floor, at Highever docks." Varric finished his statement, leaned back in the chair, jumping between his memories and his own questions within his mind.

Varric had to endure for days, watching over both his companions, unable to aid, and even understand what was happening to them as mages. Every night he sacrificed his sleep to look over them, he refused to eat unless they woke up and needed some nutrients, all while he prayed to The Maker for them to wake up. He never let his doubt, worry, negative thoughts and more to overwhelm him until he saw them move because he knew they needed him as much as he needed them.

"I woke up pretty quickly, but you and Vianna were still unconscious. What happened Sparkles? to you, and Vianna?"

 _"Damn I need some wine,"_ Dorian said in his mind as he finished the lyrium potion a little too fast, just to give him that sudden jolt that wine could do. He sat in silence, lowered his head, holding his eyes tight for a bit, then shook his head with disbelief.

"I don't know." He raised his head up again, showing the pain, confusion, and failure written all over his face and in his eyes.

"I got to the opening in the forest, and Vianna was battling that disgusting blood mage. I couldn't interfere, so I did what I could, but, it wasn't enough. Something happened to her, something changed, something grew, developed and twisted her mind completely, into someone I did not know or like." Dorian lowered his head again, followed by another disapproving shake. His grip upon the vial tensed, swiftly threw it to the floor, exclaiming a tone of frustration and aggression within the swing of his arm.

"I let her down Varric! I failed as a friend. I...she...I don't..." He continued to stutter and mumble under his breath. He ran his fingers through his hair frustrated. Mini flashbacks of that horrid night flashed boldly in his mind, uncomfortably showing the worst parts for him, emotionally, he struggled to even think on what to say or how to begin.

"She turned dark, Varric!" Dorian suddenly spat out the words he could say to only describe what he saw.  
"I have never felt intense magic like she had in her body, it was much stronger than any Magister I have seen or met. Her spells were near triple in strength and power, she even used my magic to restore her own. Her intelligence and skill grew, but her heart, it's become tainted. She was openly torturing a human: no remorse, no regrets, no control over her actions. I tried to stop her but she restrained me in some...unmeltable ice. After she drained me of my magic and physical strength, I blacked out."

A wobble of emotions was held back as Dorian spoke his final words, bowing forward and placing his face in his hands, Varric placed his hand on his shoulder in a form of comfort. With a little shake for him to snap out of it, Dorian looked up but noticed a small smirk on Varrics face.

"Come on, I'll take you to see her."

Dorian perked up like a mabari just heard the word 'treat'. Standing to his feet he picked up another lyrium vial, popped off the cork stopper with his fingers then took one large gulp, shuddering again after he swallowed the liquid magic, and made his exit with Varric leading the way.

The door opened allowing the strong sunlight to sneak through, its warm white light blinded Dorian for a bit, but once it cleared, he could not believe the sight he gazed upon.

He stood atop a higher level ground, stairs descending at opposite directions, gazing down upon a grand hall. A large glass roof centered over the hall, allowing the midday sun to reach every corner of the room. The walls were decorated with colorful flags, hand painted pictures and candles. Walking along the floor of the hall, were dozens of elves. Some were being taught to read by humans, others were tailoring blankets and clothes, even a small group of children were playing with a little family of kittens.  
Varric took a step forth, placed his hands on the banister and looked down with pride. It took one elf to look up and notice his presence, causing a pause amongst the elves actions. Varric stood proud, and the crowd soon noticing Dorian standing beside him. The causal rambling of conversations quietened down, bringing silence to the crowd, faces started to look up, those who were sitting began to stand, even the children stopped playing.

"Welcome, to 'Sanctuary' Sparkles." The moment Varric spoke, every elf bent the knee, looking in his direction and all as one they spoke the same thing: 'Andaran atish’an'.

"Now, now, now everyone, I keep telling you, no need for formality." Varric shook his hands in disapproval, before shoeing them back to continue their business. The elves ended it all by giving a round of applause, showing praise and accomplishments to the dwarf, as well as showing gratitude that Dorian was now awake and walking.

"What is this place?" Dorian asked in awe as he watched in amazement.

"Sanctuary. Didn't you hear me?" Varric giggled with that glint in his eye as he turned to see the shocked look on Dorians face.  
"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. This is the home of a friend. After the fight between the mages and templars, Kirkwall was in ruins but I wasn't going to let it crumble, so I've been helping to restore it, but this place, was long overdue a make-over, and thanks to my friend, we found a purpose for it."

"That's good Varric, I'll pop open the champagne and order the target boards for you and Bianca later, but, can I please see Vianna?" Cutting in quick with an eagerness in his words.

Varric laughed at the response, but at the same time, he liked the sound of it. Varric turned to his left, guiding Dorian with a single finger leading him to a double set of closed doors. Dorian took one look at the doors, looked to Varric, then looked back to the doors, and wasted no time reaching for the door handle and opening it.

"Vina!" Dorian stormed through the door with a shining smile on his face, but it soon dropped at the sight he looked upon was the total opposite of what he hoped to see. He hoped to see her reading some scrolls, tinkering with her alchemy, or even enjoying a warm bath. Instead, he saw her lifeless body resting in bed, hands resting on her stomach. Someone was caring for her as he noticed her hair was styled in a plat, embroidered with green vines, trailing from a solo red-petaled flower resting above her ear. Candlelight circled around her, tables, shelves, even on the floor by the base of the bed.

 _"Is this a bedroom or the chantry?"_ The room was nearly double the size of the one he stayed in. Bowls of warm coals and wood were filling the room with an overpowering smell of herbs, even thin layers of smoke could be seen resting within the air. Dorian went to the bedside and looked down upon Vianna. Her skin tone blending with her hair, her eyes sealed shut without a flicker, her chest expanding with delicate breaths as she slept, so silently. He reached over, taking her right hand into his own. Her skin was cold as stone against his own, he reached in to place a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, but his eyes caught something of interest, her left hand was gripping onto something. He placed her hand back onto her stomach and reached for her clenched fist, but with the analysis of her being asleep, he should be able to uncurl her fingers. For some unknown reason, it was near impossible to even make her fingers break from the mold.

"She won't let go." A sharp, deep, gruff voice broke the silence, Dorian jumped out of his skin as he turned to face a black shadowed corner.

"I have tried everything, asked everyone I know for help, and no one can get her to open her fist. But whatever it is, it's powerful, and I DONT like it!"

A black cloaked figure began to emerge from the shadowed wall. Pointy-toed plated boots rattled on the creaky floorboards, candlelight began to reflect off the silver metal shards of protection surrounding his body. His legs fully exposed to the light, then came his arms and waist, his armor shining like onyx, yet something was reacting on the surface of his skin. Artistic streams of lyrium blue shined against his flesh. He had the same markings on his neck, and face, shining under his short silver hair. Just like his voice, his hazel-green eyes flared with seriousness, determination, with a hint of impatience.

"Do you know this girl?" The elf questioned sharply, pointing in her direction.

Dorian stood still for just a moment as he listened to the elf speak sharply at him, with a rather odd question. Looking over his shoulder, he tucked Vianna's hand back in place, brushed off the front of his robe and cleared his throat, and put on an extremely smug sarcastic voice.

"Yes, well, Hello to you too Sir. Erm, my name is Dorian, nice to meet you. This beautiful creature laying behind me in a rejuvenating sleep is Flower...Er, I mean, The Inquisitor."

Dorian reaches forward, just to only perk up the volume for the elf to hear him whisper.

"She is quite popular! She saved all of Thedas for sealing that big, giant, rift tornado thing in the sky that threatened humanity and life itself, thanks to an ancient lunatic."

Dorian lowered his tone a notch once again.

"You may have heard of her."

Arching back with style the man continued to ramble on. Mostly on purpose as the elf attempted to speak the moment Dorian spoke a word, and he was throwing out as much as he could at the quickest pace he could manage, cutting off the elf in conversation instantly.

"And YES! I DO know her," Enhancing the sarcasm just a tiny bit too much.

"I'm one of her loyal companions, her best friend, advisor, organizer of her wardrobe, and occasional drinking partner where we just get so drunk, we just tickle each other till I throw up." Making it clear he didn't want to forget anything as he counted each finger on his hand.

"Are you done yet?!" The fearless warrior elf growled loudly, taking a large step forward, bringing him much closer to the mage, driving him nuts. He glowed with the power of his lyrium markings out of frustration, staring down into Dorian's brown eyes with a snarl on his face.

"Fenris! My favorite, broody elf! I heard loud voices, I'm just checking you're being a good host and guardian." Varric walked into the room like he was about to perform to an audience, arms out wide, head held high and naming the men in a narrative voice. The two men turned away from each other to look at Varric, before slowly parting from each other, breaking the tension in their eyes. Dorian cleared his throat and brushed off his robe, while Fenris shook his head huffing, and began to pace in the room.

"Varric. I know you said she was alive, but forgetting to mention she is in a rejuvenating sleep is a big matter here!" Dorian got serious as he spoke more, pointing his hand out to Vianna's frozen body.

"I know, I know Sparkles. I'm sorry, but it was better if you saw her for yourself. Don't worry though, we have ever healer, alchemist, herbalist, and scholar looking for any aid. All we know is she is just sleeping, but none of the mages can find her in The Fade." Varric walked around the bed looking down upon his companion.

"The Fade..." Dorian repeated the words with a hint of confusion. Then it came to him. He has been in the Fade, possibly while he was being teleported to Kirkwall. A sudden flash of the Spirit of Hope, taking the form of Vianna flashed in his mind. Just the memory of Spirit-Vianna lifted up his hope, cleansed his negativity and made him feel more at ease. Maybe this was her gift, as he felt like this when he spoke to her before. He tried to remember what happened, but the echo of her memory was more vivid than the words she spoke, even though it was elvhen, he knew there was a message for him solely.

"Sparkles...Sparkles? SPARKLES!" Varric had to shout to snap Dorian out of him suddenly staring into space, as well as ignoring the question unknowingly asked to him.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I just...lost focus a bit there." Dorian looked at Varric a little unsettled, remembering he now had a secret to keep, only hoping that he could keep his lips shut on this matter, if not for Vianna, but for the spirit protecting her last fragment of light, her Hope.

"No need to worry though. She is there, somewhere, healing, and protecting herself."

"I have been keeping an eye on this, mage, for days and this stuck up know it all just stands here and says "shes just sleeping?" Most of the slaves I have saved out there said the exact same thing. Why does he saying it seems more truthful?" Fenris snapped at both the men, pacing around in a circle, continuously pointing at the mages.

"She has A NAME! Show some respect to the woman who has given you a life to lead and a planet to walk on." Dorian struck up his defense.

"Now now you two, calm down. Think of Vianna, we are talking about her after all, and she's right there." Varric stopped the tense argument quickly. Fenris just huffed and walked back to his corner, leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Dorian went back to walk around the bed. He brushed his finger across her cheek, then brushed her forehead with his palm.

"Come on guys! Lets put our differences aside, and look on the bride side. Sparkles is now awake, Vianna is in good hands, and Fenris got to unleash some tension." Varric ended with a dry chuckle, but the silence from the room and the look in their eyes indicated that a joke was not the best remedy.

"Come on sparkles, I'll give you a tour around Sanctuary, show you what I've done to Kirkwall, and how about tonight we unwind a little with some wicked grace at The Hanged Man. Elf? that's an open invitation to you too. And don't worry about Flower."

Time went by before the sun decided to set and rest for another night. Varric did as he suggested, and gave Dorian a tour of Sanctuary: all its gloriously comfortable bedrooms, its pristine kitchen preparing the meal for all the occupants for the night, and a small hidden garden protected by thick bushes with a simple wooden seat protected over a well crafted wooden shelter. A lot of the children and many of the female elves were keen to meet and speak to Dorian, all knowing he was Viannas closest friend.

Dinner was finally ready to be presented. Dorian was taken into a grand dining room next to the kitchen. Two large tables, placed opposite each other, with at least twenty seats surrounding both tables were scattered with freshly cooked, steaming hot food. So many vegetables of all colors, textures, and flavors. Huge platters of pork and beef roast placed on one table, and a collection of different types of fish on the other. Bowls piled high of different types of bread, cheeses, and salads, and small gravy boats holding sauces and dressing of all colors and textures filled any gaps on the table. Both tables had a collection of wines, spirits, and water jugs centered on the table. Dorian's eyes were a lot bigger than his belly as he took a seat next to Varric, and the bandaged elf, the one that Varric managed to safe. He picked at every item of food he could get his hands on, piling his metal plate high with as much as it could hold, by the time he was making his third helping of food, he left his table to venture over to the other for a change of meat, swiping an unopened bottle of wine as he walked back to his seat.

There was so much chatter, laughter, and bonding between everyone, even some of the humans who have been educated the elves were offered dinner and decided to stay. Dorian was having the best time he had in a long time. Everyone was happy to be alive, to live, to learn, to move on, and it made Dorian feel good about his own, and the inquisition's accomplishments, as well as Varric's for his work in this building. Even Fenris, who sat on the opposite table, seemed like he was bonding with some of the children, asking him to light up his marking on his skin like a magic trick, making them release pure innocent giggles. Once everyone had their fill, everyone sat and chatted for a while, before the leading chef made her presence known, clapped her hands twice, then disappeared. Every elf, human and child, then raised to their feet and all as one began to clean up the tables, scraping away scraps, piling up plates and cutlery, all making their way back to the kitchen.

"Maker that was the best meal I've had in days!" Varric leaned back in his chair, patted his stomach and let out a large belch of satisfaction. He finished off the stout from his tankard, then stood up from his chair.

"Come on Sparkles, time for that game of wicked grace at The Hanged Man. You coming too, Elf?" Varric shouted across the room to Fenris. His call was a blessing to Fenris. By now, he was getting quite agitated as the "fun" with the children turned to repetitive nagging, and too much prodding from their fingers on his skin made him want to snap and walk away, but he managed to maintain his short temper over the years. He looked over to Varric giving me a very confident extended nod, as he attempted to get the children to leave him be, making his way to the main door.

Varric, Dorian, and Fenris all walked into The Hanged Man Tavern. It was a quiet night, as the men in the room could be counted on one hand. Dorian and Fenris both walked over to the largest circular table they could find, both in silence without eye contact of course. Varric was by the bar, having a quick chit chat with the bartender, while he waited for three extra large tankards being filled with strong ale. As the bubbles escaped the liquid, allowing the froth to grow and drip over the edges, Varric picked them up and began to walk to the table, observing his gamblers for the night actually getting along, cutting cards and fishing for coin out of their pockets.

"Master Varric! Master Varric!" The door of the tavern opened, hitting the wooden all on full impact by the swing. A young male elf rushed into the tavern, moving his head so much his sight couldn't focus on the open spaced area, panicking as he repeatedly called out.

"Ugh. What now? Cant it-" Varric was cut off from conversation instantly.

"She's gone! The Inquisitor, she is gone!"


	10. Steal to heal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vianna has unexplainably disappeared. Without any leads, everyone had to do their best to begin a search. All the while, Vianna was in good hands, with an unexpected reunion on the horizon. Her childhood friend, Kai, came to her aid and did something everyone failed to do, to wake The inquisitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kai is one of my twitter friends own inquisitor (see picture). With her permission, she allowed me to bring her character into my canon lore, as a close childhood friend.  
> I HIGHLY recommend you visit her twitter and check out her art, she does commissions and shes a beautiful talented girl.
> 
> https://twitter.com/laudrawin

The screaming echo of the elf's voice ended with the metallic clang of the tankards falling from Varric's weakened grip in his fingers. They bounced on the floor and showering the dwarf's boots, trousers and the wooden floor in a spray of fizzy liquid and gassy bubbles.

Dorian wasted no time leaving his seat. He sat up like he just sat on hot coal, and dashed through the maze of wooden chairs and tables. He barged past the petrified dwarf, skipped over the wet floor, and shunted the elf in front of him out the door, to escort the panicking Tevinter tourist back to Sanctuary. 

Varric snapped out of his frozen status once the bar-keeper shouted out his name and demanded his money for the drinks. Varric could only apologize for the mess and the sudden dash out of the door he was making as he spoke, explaining its an emergency. _'put it on a tab'_ he said.

Only Fenris was the cool, calm person who was left to put the chairs and tables back in to place, slam a handful of gold coins on the bar counter, leave the tavern with a delicate twist of the iron handle and shutting the door quietly behind him, all with a face of thunder, his brow hanged low over his eyes, a scrunched up nose, and fists of furry.

Dorian was the first to swing open the double doors to Sanctuary's main hall. Beads of cold sweat trickle down the side of his brow, caused by fear, but the elf was gagging for breath as he never ran so fast and so much in his life, panting like a beast on his hands and knees.  Dorian rushed with his words as his brain failed to function on the situation.

Luckily order was in place within the household. One of the elder human teachers, accompanied by a few elven women, tried to comfort the man and assist the elf.  The teacher explained he had started interrogating every person in the building by one of the teachers in the dining room, with a fellow elven teacher as a chaperone.  Once Master Varric returns, everything will be under control. For now, Dorian was just told to relax and wait. In Dorian's head that was translated into, _"If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen getting drunk."_

Not long after Dorian disappeared behind the kitchen door, Varric entered the main hall.  The same teacher relayed the same message, Varric rubbed his leather gloved hands together and gave a few orders to the women. Once left alone, the rogue instinct in the cunning dwarf's mind clicked, a sparkle lit in his eyes as he targeted the room Vianna stayed in, with his eyes alone.

There was one simple rule every person in this building had to follow the second the inquisitor was brought into these walls: her room must never be left unattended, not for one second! If someone had to leave, they had to wait for someone to replace them and swapping shifts were set on a time schedule.  So how could a fully grown, unconscious female elf, leave her bed, and escape a building loaded with hundred of seeing eyes and listening ears?

Varric dismissed the two elves he had to guard the room, just while everyone was being questioned, and entered the bedroom closing the door quietly behind him, resting his back against the wood feeling it click shut. The soothing illumination of the candles, still glowing their warm flames around the room, made Varric believe he still saw Vianna sleeping in her bed.

"I'll get you back Flower!" Determination and power bloomed from his words. The first item of interest and the reason why he was here: the table. Varric grabbed the closest left corner of the table, gently lifted it up, exposing a grove within the wooden floor plank the same shape as the table leg. He reached down to the slot, applied some pressure with his finger, activated a click to a mechanism, revealing a trap door leading to a set of stone stairs beneath where the table stood. As the metal cogs and chains rattled into action, Varric moved the table more and then grabbed a candle.

There was a wooden torch covered with oil for light quite close to the entrance on the wall, but before Varric lit it, he inspected the torch. The strong smell of oil still lingered, and no sign of ash or broken wood on the floor. With no sign of tampering, he lit the torch, removed it from the holder and used the golden flames to illuminate the stairs. The eyes of the archer scanned every stone, every crack, along with the stairs and the lowest parts of the wall. Precision was on a high to scan and scurry for as long as it took.

Finally, the rogue hound tensed and took a large sniff of the air the further he descended down the stairs. A tiny scent of sweet sugar went up Varric's sensitive nose. There was no logical explanation for him to suddenly feel like he's staring at freshly baked brown sugar glazed cherry tart, in the middle of stone covered stairwell tunnel, an element with no natural scent, with a stairway that leads to Darktown, of all places.  Sugar marked the spot! Varric stopped descending the stairs, used the light to his safest advantage as possible and scanned, and scanned, and scanned.

 "Got you!" The dwarf shouted out to himself as he removed his glove and picked up a small knotted cluster of long blonde hair. As Varric tugged, he felt a small resistance within the thick hair strands, meaning the natural ridged cuts of the stone step caught the hair and pulled it off the culprit's scalp. It wasn't much, but it was enough to put a description out there to get more aid and answers: A sugar lover, with blonde hair, who somehow knew of the emergency escape tunnel, something ONLY Varric, Fenris, and Hawke knew about.

When Varric left the bedroom with his findings, most of the young elven children were all huddled together on a full-length couch falling asleep with the kittens. There was one group of people, those still waiting to be questioned, smaller in size compared to the second group, those who have already been questioned. Varric walked into the dining room and could only attempt to hear the conversation he was engaged in, as there was a continuous interruption of metal and clay utensils, or a very drunk, aggressive, foul-mouthed voice coming from the kitchen next door.

Finally, the last person in the dining room completed their statement. The teachers and helpers were all excused, told to get all the children to bed, apart from six highly trained warriors or hunters, to stay behind and guard every room in the building. Everyone else was free to retreat to their own homes and beds. Varric wished he could do the same, but he stubbornly began to organize the papers. Admittedly he was too tired, too fatigued to do anything. His energy level completely hit zero as he attempted to read and organized the statement papers. Soon enough, his head was leaning further and further towards the paper resting on the table. His eyelids where successfully shutting and extended in time closed after every attempt to keep them open. It wasn't long before the once quite dining room was rumbling with the snores of an exhausted dwarf who just wanted to finish this mystery, and the loud sounds of an active kitchen soon succumbed to silence after being raided dry by a man who just wants his wine.

A huge thud from a large leather bound book being slammed against the table, right next to Varric, made the overtired dwarf jump with a sudden shock from his deep slumber. He mumbled a little with his sleepy voice before noticing Fenris standing beside him, hovering over the table with his hand placed on the book.  The dwarf soon figured out it was the login register, anyone who entered the doors had to put a name, age, and any skills they possess. A few rubs of his puffy tired eyes, Varric looked before him and noticed all the statements in orderly piles, except for one, turned down, placed close.

"While you were snoring your head off, I took the time to go through the register, combine every name logged in the book with the statements. Eventually, I found one name in the book, that failed to provide a statement." Fenris then turned the single piece of paper over, rather quickly, took a long stride back, and lowered his head.

Varric picked up the paper. Rather than feeling excited and intrigued, he was more puzzled and confused, as he felt he had no choice to occasionally spin the paper sideways, in the opposite direction of his head as it tilted.

"Erm, I can tell that is, meant to be writing, but I'm sorry, I can't read this." Varric felt slightly embarrassed at his own statement, but he was also being honest. This was important, and reading something that looked like " FeL , 22, Ooor \ ueepems" was not a good start. The dwarf looked at the elf, who stood dead still using his silver hair as a shield for his eyes. Varric eased his own tension, slouched back in his chair and scanned the writing again before looking back to Fenris with a smirk on his face.

"No matter how tough and impenetrable you try to be, you're able to not only fall in love with a wonderful woman like Hawke, but you have also grown to love the children here. And in return, they not only teach you to read and write, but they love you too."

 Fenris lifted his head swift and strong, but he couldn't speak. Varric wasn't wrong, but when is he? For a long time, Fenris chose duty over his heart. He allowed Hawke to remind him where the heart was, what loving and caring for another was like, but that was it. After the failed attempt to rekindle with his true blood, his sister, he vowed never to allow anyone else in that part of his ' humanity '.

But those children, oh the children! Every time someone was rescued from the chains of slavery, begging to be free from poverty and starvation, or someone who wished to peruse a form of study in secret, the children were there first! Altogether they would scream "Welcome home!" a mixed message for both the newcomer and Fenris. They were fascinated, sometimes a little scared, of his lyrium markings, but as most children do, their imaginations ran wild. They began to tell him made up stories of how he helped them, what powers his makings gave him, his weapon, and his armor. The steel hearted elf's curiosity replaced ignorance, his own creativity began to unlock thanks to the children's imagination, and soon enough, he was beginning to enjoy them. He didn't find himself fearful, but fearless, inspiring rather than notorious, and he loved it.

On one particular night some months ago, a young nine-year-old boy, orphaned by some street bandits, was rescued from Fenris. Since arriving at Sanctuary, he failed to sleep most nights, so he made trips to the kitchen for a drink during the night, always clutching onto a bark bound book, stuffed with paper and pictures. The boy believed he was alone that night but soon discovered that Fenris was also in the kitchen drinking. He was having a bit of a downer as he was missing his love, and wine was the only thing he wanted to numb the pain of loneliness. The boy attempted to talk to Fenris, but it was just not working. Not until the boy opened his book, picked out a charcoal pencil, and began to write.  Fenris failed to be sly as he looked over to the boy, but the smart lad saw the open door, and let the light shine through. He told him that he was writing about Fenris, when he rescued him from the clutches of death, portraying him as a hero, an angel blessed to protect him, and a saint for allowing his parents to have a proper burial. It was then Fenris come clean, opened up to the boy and admitted he couldn't read, write, or draw.

From that moment on, the news spread like whispers amongst the other children, and together they decided to help him. Every day at the beginning of the week, Fenris would spend a full day at Sanctuary. On this day, the children would write something for Fenris, and they would sit with him and help him read what they wrote, and in return, he had to practice writing the words "Thank you." on every child's paperwork.

"I had no choice. You needed help, and you dismissed everyone." Fenris spoke like a child in a classroom. He was so nervous confirming he attempted to write. Deep down Fenris wished he was a sold as his armor, and it had the same purpose to protect, but instead, he felt stupid for trying, ashamed to show someone, and wasted his time.  
"I can count, but not write, and those children...they want me to read them a story I've written." The shy elf flicked his hair away and reached for the book as a visual distraction.  
"I got to start somewhere!" He finished with bold high tone, attempting confidence in his words.

"It's ok to learn something. Keep telling yourself your not a slave anymore either, your free too, free to do anything you wish, got it? Broody?" Varric finished with a raise of the eyebrow and that sharp spark in his eye that only pops up when he knows he's found that extra sensitive nerve, and given it the toughest pinch possible. He suddenly decided to switch the name of the elf unmistakably on purpose. Just that small twist of the subject and now Varric had control, and Fenris was in the most embarrassed and uncomfortable situation he's ever been in. The blushed tomato red elf rubbed his nails against the leather binding of the book to resist the urge to throw a punch. He quickly shoved the book under Varric's nose, flipping it open to a set of pages completely filled with writing, with one line highlighted in a red circle.

"This is the name I tried to write. Your welcome!" The embarrassed and ashamed elf quickly left the dining room, aimed for the kitchen and gave the door a solid slam shut behind him. A sudden shout of a single rude word was heard behind the door, not long followed by a to and frow of voices and words between the two drained, tired men. Varric laughed to himself, looked at the book, and wanted to compare the writing, just to see if there was any accuracy in his attempt at all. There was. After a few minutes of double checking, Varric could see what he attempted to write: "Kai - 22 cook/weapons."

"Kai, that's our young blond haired lady. Knows cooking. Makes sense as to why I could smell sugar. Skilled in weapons. Possibly a spy? caution is needed." Varric wrote down his details and summary on eight individual small pieces of paper, one for Fenris, Dorian, and one for each guard in the area. He got the guards to escort, or aid, the men to their rooms as he handed over the notes and gave patrol areas before saying goodnight to the men. Varrics bed for the night was the couch once cluttered with resting, sleeping children and kittens. The small fire in the large fireplace was his nightlight, sitting alone in the large hall. Rather than sleeping, he decided to unravel a scroll tucked in his jacket, and decided to dive into his own world of creativity, tap a quill pen on the paper scroll, and began to write.  


* * *

                                                                                                  

"Good night Kai, prayers to The Maker for The Inquisitor."

"Good night Napyl. Prayers to us all tonight."

The door slowly closed behind the middle-aged blonde male human, as he held a full jug of water, and a plate of untouched food, un-knowingly aware he was the last person to leave the heavily protected and guarded room of the building, Sanctuary, with The Inquisitor, Vianna still in her bed.

The blond-haired female elf snapped into action, spending every second of time wisely and to her advantage. She had a plan, and she had a goal. She was going to wake the girl up from her trancing slumber, but it could not be done in the simple space of a bedroom, so for now, she had to get her out of this bedroom, and out of this building. The second she knew she was alone, her body moved with the swiftness of an arrow in the open wind. The elf quickly lifted up the table corner, exposing the slot in the wooden floor panel, applied weight in the slot, and activated the trap door. As the mechanical cranking noise continued to work, Kai spontaneously knocked off the tray of food she brought in the room with her. She shouted a mumbled selection of apologetic words on purpose, yet the whole time she was on the floor, tampering around with her escape route. She unraveled a very thick, long slippery material over the stairs, she had hidden amongst some clothes in a chest of drawers. It had a very shiny effect to it once she laid it out and poured the water from her full jug all over the rug, making it slide all the way down to the bottom.

A sudden knock on the door followed by a muffled male voice questioned the noise he heard. Kai lept to her feet and quickly grabbed the food tray and jug, rushed to the door and opened it, coming face to face with the doors guardsman. Acting like a shy child, she explained she accidentally knocked off the food tray and jug of water. Could the guard take them away and replace them while she cleans up the mess? Naturally, the guard followed his orders and the rules for Vianna. He agreed, took the utensils away, and Kai was free to shut the door and continue her plan.

Kai reached for her trousers around her back legs and bottom, adjusting the material to reveal the same material now creating a water slide down the stairway. The quick escape was closing in, as Kai reached over some of the candles, positioning herself like a spider, trying to not disturb the candles, or harm Vianna. She managed to lift the cold still elf off the bed, and over to the stairs. It wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, carry, hoist, and position a fully grown person with no sense of movement or weight control, but Kai managed to position herself in the sitting position at the top of the stairs and placed Vianna on her lap, wrapped her round with string, binding her to herself, supported upwards with Kai's arm.

One final trick to complete the escape. Kai arranged the table as close to the slot in the floor as best she could. She got out a small square piece of thick leather from her pocket. She placed it over the slot, pulled the leg table close to the slot resting on the leather, and gripped onto a piece of thick string attached to the leather. The girl held onto the trap entrance for grip, with her hand gripping onto the string. She gently laid down, bringing Vianna down with her keeping her secure. After three deep breaths, Kai let go of the trap door, pulled the string, and began to slide down the slippery wet material down the downward staircase. Favorably the leather did its job. Thanks to its rough texture, the pressure from the table maintained a tight grip, enough to pull the table forward, fall back into its perfectly shaped slot, and reactivate the trap door to shut, concealing the one-way entrance behind them, seemingly untouched.

It felt like minutes as the two elves continued to slide down the slippery material. The Journey was extremely painful for Kai, as she was looming in the dark, literally. The grooves between the angle of the steps were giving her a lot of discomfort up her spine and lower back. She lost sensation in her toes from the pressure from Vianna, on her forced straight legs. The light was finally at the end of the stairway tunnel. Kai closed her eyes shut tight as the girls made an awkward, but safe crash landing, as they fell into a thick stack of hay mounded into a pile, falling out of the stairway entrance, disguised as an abandoned sewage tunnel entrance.

"Oh miss, oh lovely miss! you are here, you are here, you are here! Are you okay? let me help you up, oh please? let me help you up." A huge cluster of slurried poorly spoke words came at a fast speed from an elderly grey-haired man. He had an untamed, dirty beard, coated round blistered red lips and barely any teeth. He might be blind in one eye, and not with one of those sexy scars to represent bravery and sacrifice, but he was able to reach for Kai, desperate to pick her up from her arms, completely unaware the women were attached.

"Let go of me you old goat! I can get up myself! I'm paying you to lay down the hay, not treat me as a damsel in distress, now move!" Kai shouted and shunted the man away, pushing him a little too hard causing him to stumble like a drunk over the hay pile. Again the blonde elf swiftly got to work, as her fingers untied knots like it was a magic trick. Her back was in serious agony, her legs were so numb she could barely move them without the sting of pins and needles, but the adrenaline, the goal, the purpose, suppressed most of the pain. Her hands swept away some of the hay, and with a heave and a tug, Kai respectfully placed Vianna comfortable to rest beside her in the hay.

Vianna looked like she never moved, apart from some wet stains on her aqua blue gown she slept in, nothing changed, even her hand was still gripped tight. Her magically fused, tight sealed gripped hand: the next target of the plan.

"Geeky, my bag!" Kai swayed her hand in her direction to the man. Before spinning on the spot around four times, unable to see anything in his braindead daze, he eventually picked up a black leather knapsack. It clinked and rattled as he held it carelessly by the strap, allowing its heavy content to sway with its weight, before lunging his arm out to the girl with the bag nearly hitting her in the face.

"Careful you idiot! That's valuable stuff!" The girl's agility boosted her reflexes as she grabbed the leather knapsack perfectly in her hands, removing it from the man's clumsy glutch on the strap, easing it to her side gently.

"Do one more thing that annoys me, and I'll take away your other eye."

"Oh, so sorry miss, my bad." The man apologized quickly, taking a step back, bowing his head like he was visiting royalty.

"And my name is Keggy, remember missy miss?" He finished with the unimportant note that Kai got his name wrong, again.

"I DONT CARE! BACK OFF!"

The girl quickly opened her knapsack, amazingly it opened like a scroll of paper rather than a bag with a cover. Resting within the black leather, tools of all shapes, sizes, and unique heads, made out of strong beautiful steel, accompanied by beautifully handcrafted wooden handles. Besides the tools, a number of slim vials, all with different colors, sealed with cork stoppers, only two were empty. The final section of the knapsack rollout had hand sewed in pouches, all containing unique arrowheads, containing some "surprises" for unexpected guests.

Kai needed whatever was in Vianna's hand. Her faithful tools were just the thing she needed, not once have they let her down. She chose something that looked like a long set of tweezers, and what seemed like a standard metal tipped tool, she twisted the wooden handle very carefully, and thin sheets of strong, but flexy metal sprouted. It looked like a flower blooming upside-down. Moving over to Vianna's hand, she adjusted the girl's arm and made her hand comfortable, and got to work.

Using the blooming tool, she gently fed the thin metal end through the crease of skin within the curled set of fingers. Everything was by mear guess and experience, as these tools were used on solid wood and metals, not the tender flesh of a woman's hand. Vianna was nowhere near conscious to also indicate any pain or discomfort in the process. Kai barely breathed as she focused her sharp elven eyes on the tools, using the sensations through the tools to know when she was close to the item inside Vianna's hand. The metal tip of the tool suddenly rubbed against something hard, sending a grinding feel down the metal and vibrated through the carved wood. Once she made contact, she turned the wooden handle, the metal flared gently within the palm, giving her more room to work with within the folds of skin.

Time to switch to the tweezers. Using the bloomer tool as a guide, she eased the metal tweezers into the hand. Once the end touched something solid, she pinched as best as she could, and attempted to drag the item towards her. Her cool patience was playing with her scale of calmness and impatience, as there were a number of times she eventually lost grip and repeated the procedure. Countless minutes passed by, the local rats were getting too curious for their own good as Kai remained so still, even the grim accomplice decided to rest on a small patch of unused hay. Luckily he was a quiet sleeper otherwise he would have to rest further and further away. The contact of metal on metal repeated to clink and scrape as Kai continued to fiddle more and adjust her fingers against the tools, before quickly twisting the bloomer tool handle. The twist made a clamp on the item within the strips of metal, and with tough, mini tugs, Kai pulled as best she could. She could see it. She could feel it at the gentlest touch of her fingertips as she reached for it.

"I got it!" Kai screamed with sheer delight, raising her hand in the air holding the item. The man jumped in his skin and woke up like he heard a gunshot and the rats squeaked and scurried back to their hiding holes. The elf glowing with success brought her arm down to look at the item, but the girl just gulped with shock. A coal-black skeletal bone was now resting in her hand, with a sheet of skin coating the baseline of the bone, gently coated with specs of crimson blood. Kai only gazed at it for a few seconds, then realizing she was looking at Vianna's skin, Vianna's blood, on a bone from another creature. She threw the item down with disgust beside her, watching it rest in the hay, before turning back to the injured hand.

Miraculously Vianna's hand was now free to move. Kai opened up the lifeless fingers with ease and was horrified to see a green glowing scar resting in the center of her palm. The layer of removed skin was bleeding slowly but was smoking a blue vapor. Kai didn't have a clue what the green marker was, but she could tell the blue vapor was a sign of mana burn, a reaction to the use of power too intense for the user. She reached for the vials, picking a blue color, yellow color, and one of the empty vials. Mixing delicate drops of the two colors within the empty vial, she gave one brisk shake, creating a neon green liquid, resting at the bottom of the vial.

She popped off the cork to let the trapped gas from the glass vial puff out a small green cloud. It smelt rancid as she took in a deep breath and held it in as she held Vianna's fingers open and let the thick drops of liquid fall on the tender red wound. As the drops fell onto the skin, two of the girl's fingers flinched from the impact. Finally, she was regaining consciousness, her mind was finally returning back to her body, but her eyes still remained shut and there were no other signs of movement from her body. Once the final drop escaped the vial, Kai reached in her back pocket and quickly pulled out a rolled up woolen bandage, gently applied it around the wounded hand, occasionally she still had to take in a deep breath and hold it.

The man was watching from a distance in awe, as he was hypnotized by the elf tend to The Inquisitor. His blocked nose made his breathing sound heavy through his mouth. He kept making tiny shuffles forward to the ladies, thinking he wouldn't be noticed. Small smirks of glee lifted his beard up as he overlooked everything Kai did. Words were on the tip of his tongue, he was just about to speak out, but then Kai made that single deadly look in her eyes, as she heard him shuffle closer. At that moment the man swallowed his words, smiled and decided to step back.

Final step: Waking Vianna up. Once Kai finished tending to the hand, she went back to the vials. This time choosing yellow, and two individual red vials, and the final empty one. Whatever she was making, it wasn't as simple as the potion she made previously. A lot of individual droplets, lots of shakes, followed by more droplets. One of the red vials was nearly gone before she made one final, vicious shake to the vial, turning the liquid into a dark orange. It began to fizz in the glass, sparks of color began to escape the vials lips. Once the fizzing effect began to cause the liquid to create an orange foam, Kai placed it under Vianna's nose, applying circular motions under each nostril. It wasn't the liquid Kai needed, it was the gas. She kept applying it under Vianna's nose until she pulled a sudden look of disgust on her face. Her nose began to twitch, her mouth slightly opened, and Kai took this opportunity to suddenly drop the liquid into Vianna's mouth. Vianna gulped the liquid down, and within seconds, she inhales and suddenly spits out a number of sneezes.

Vianna suddenly moved and raised herself off the hay pile, still sneezing as she placed her healthy hand over her mouth. One finally sneeze left Vianna's lips. She shook her head and rubbed her face to shake off the feeling like shes got something tickling her nose and eyes, but the pain of her hand kicked in giving the girl a face of pain, as she clenched her injured hand with the other. The inquisitor finally opened her eyes, the first time in nearly a week, and was very confused to suddenly see she was wearing clothes she didn't own and she picked up the tips of her hair to see it was in a plat. Suddenly, a hand holding a leather water bottle was placed in front of her. Vianna followed the arm up, to stare at Kai, her blonde hair coating over her face, her golden vallaslin decorated round her violet-blue eyes and her rosy cheeks.

"Aneth ara, Vianna" Kai spoke gently once she saw Vianna's icy blue eyes once again, watching her face turning from shock to ultimate surprise, before Vianna lunged at her, wrapping her arm around the girl's neck and pinning her to the floor with a huge hug.

"Kai! Oh, Kai my friend! I've missed you." Vianna spoke beside Kai's ear, still pinned to the ground hugging her tight. Kai embarrassed the hug back with a smile. The two childhood friends have finally reunited, since way before the conclave, and they felt like they only saw each other a few days ago and nothing has changed.


	11. Past times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art IS NOT mine! I used stuff on Pinterest to add some color and imagery. Give credit to the artists, not me!  
> Song: Artist - Daemonia Nymph, Song - Oneiro  
> I decided to use this song to best describe Vianna singing in a different language. The song is sung in Greek, but I honestly dont know what she's saying.  
> *1:14 in the song links to paragraph marked*

Vianna released from the hug, sat up and pulled Kai up with her, but soon had to hold her injured hand again, squinting her eyes and moaning with discomfort as she tried to move her fingers. Glancing down to the floor when her eyes opened, the wolf jaw-bone rested on the floor staring at her, still with her skin attached to it. Vianna quickly picked it up and ask Kai for more bandage. Delicately she protected the item in the thick white fabric, not saying a word until she was finished, then held it tightly in her healthy right hand.

"Vianna. What happened to you?" Kai took a sip of the water and handed it back to Vianna, who shook her head in refusal, held the bone close to her chest, and honestly had to think to answer the question.  
"I've been following you since you left the docks at Highever, but you were unconscious. What happened?"

"I really don't remember," Vianna eventually answered so delicately, it was like the words hurt to speak out. She truly tried to remember what happened, but she struggled to remember anything after sending Orana and Alec to Orzammar. Something serious must have happened? what could have caused her serious wound on her hand? Her level of magic was very low, she was rapidly developing a headache, the increasing sensitivity of her hand burning wasn't helping. She expressed her pain, her discomfort, and her memory loss through her healthy hand as she curled her fingers and gripped as tight as she could.

_"Solas, I know you are responsible for this. I said no more games, and I meant it! Don't worry I will return your precious relic, but YOU will be the next one to break."_

"Never mind for now. Come on, let's get out of this stinkhole, I need something to drink and eat, you were hard work." Eager to leave, Kai packed up her equipment and wrapped everything back up to its knapsack design. She called out for the old man, getting his name wrong, again. The creepy old man's head popped up over the hay pile like a puppet jumping onto the stage, responding with more creepy compliments and blabbermouth chit-chat. The elves jumped out of their skin. The man's cheesy grin along with his wide eyes gazing deep in their souls sent chills down their spines. Kai reached for a small leather pouch of precious gems attached to her belt, threw it overarm towards the mans face, hitting him in the forehead, breaking his deep space stare away from the women.

"You did your job, I've paid you your second half, now get as far away from me as possible, thank you, goodbye key-kay!"

Kai rushed her words, forcing a lot of politeness, just wanting to run away. Wrapping her knapsack strap across her torso, she gripped hard on Vianna's arm and tugged her away in a sprint of running footsteps, escaping from the man before he had a chance to react after the impact of the pouch. The girls continued to run down the mini maze of narrow pathways, careful not disturb any inanimate objects, the homeless, and beggers slumbering on the dirty waterlogged ground. Kai continued to pull on her friend's arm. Vianna fell weak to the pain, her low level of magic was draining too much out of her already feeble physical energy. Rushing around corners, descending and ascending stairs was fueling her every growing headache, struggling to maintain focus on her surroundings or her feet.

Thankfully the girls were walking up the final flight of stairs, leading them to Hightown. Kai paused suddenly once she noticed the shining outline of armor standing by the stairway entrance. The stealthy blonde communicated with sign language only the weak ice master would understand. Kai inspected slowly and slyly, her strong sense of hearing picked up a sudden snort coming from the guard. He was sleeping. Fantastic! The night was still young, and these men were either exhausted, drunk or bored. Like a mouse sneaking past the cat, the two elven girls walk as casually as possible, carried the weight of a feather in their feet as they sneaked past the guards, making the final dash, taking a right, and a double left.

Vianna suddenly begged Kai to stop, gasping for breath and struggled to speak. The girl leaned forward resting on her knees, heaving and wheezing out of complete exhaustion. Her vision was getting more blurry, no longer could she feel her injured hand or the soles of her feet, but her friend was there, continuing to encourage the girl and help push her to their destination, she didn't have far to go. In the distance stood the tallest building resting at the highest peak of Kirkwall, Viscount's Keep. Waiting hidden within its boundaries was their final destination, and Vianna can get the medical care she needed.

Vianna pushed, and pushed herself. The final stretch made it all worth the pain, the mental limits and reaching the breaking point of reaching a nervous collapse finally pay off, as they both dropped their weak limp bodies onto a teleportation glyph hidden behind a tree in a quiet area close to the keep's walls. The teleportation magic reacted instantly, traveling them meters and meters into the air, placing them on the rooftop of the Viscount's keep. The ocean winds and high altitude howled and blew viciously as the girls continued to lay on the glyph, wrapping them up in a cocoon of messy hair and free-flowing fabrics. Kai had to hold onto her knapsack for dear life, while Vianna held the wolf bone in both her hands close to her chest, as they felt like they were being swept away by the wrath of the wind current.

A few seconds passed by, then the teleportation glyph disappeared. Its one-way travel use had expired. Once what was a yellow shining glyph, suddenly re-emerging with a whole new color, of a blissful green. The light shined like an emerald absorbing rays of sunlight on a clear afternoon. Its bloom of nature magic created a healing circle for the elves, quickly getting to work. Protecting the girls in a dome, the fatigue melted away, the pain felt soothed, and mental tiredness was being cleansed.

Vianna smiled as the magic connected, taking her mind somewhere blissful and pure. She felt like she was bathing in a secret moonpool hidden in the forest, smelling the fresh grass and wildflowers blowing in a gentle breeze. She could feel the water fused with magic seep through her skin, refreshing her vitals as she gazed upon a starlit night sky, before feeling the skin of gentle touching hands caress her shoulders as she relaxed in the pool.

Kai succumbed to the healing magic too. Her body was swinging at a soothing pace, high within the starry sky in a Tiipii bed created from vines and wildflowers, decorated with feathered pillows, soft fabrics and exotic fruits. The cool wind blew across her bare skin, rocking her gently as she relaxed in the comfort of someone's company. Their flesh caressing and bonding as she helped herself to a red-berried fruit in arms reach.

The girls remained in their meditated illusions, keeping them still, unoccupied, allowing the magic to heal. The glyph continued to shine and rotate for a number of minutes, then it too disappeared, taking the exotic illusions away from the woman, but leaving them completely fresh and alive, both opening their eyes simultaneously.

 _"What just happened?"_ They both questioned themselves as they got up quickly to a seating position, looked at each other really confused, then quickly shifting to reality as a huge gust of wind hit them hard, knocking the breath out of their lungs, forcing them to wrap their arms around their torsos for warmth.

"I got this!" Vianna shouted, hoping her friend would hear her voice as it carried away within the strong gusts of wind. Her magic was now one hundred percent refiled, there was no more pain, no more struggle to move anymore. Quickly Vianna used her favorite trick. She raised her bandaged hand, punched upwards to the air, releasing a ball of magic from her clenched fist. The magic created a spray of light as it exploded on an invisible wall, flared open and created a shield, concealing the girls in a safe airtight dome. Kai watched in amazement. She had never seen anything like this before, neither had she seen the magic this up close. Seeing it coming from her childhood friend, seeing how much she has grown and trained as the magic showered over her, sparkling like diamonds, like raindrops from a spring morning. It was true magic to her as her eyes shined bright, lips smiling proud, looking up to the beauty above her.

Her deep stare was suddenly broken by the feel of Vianna grabbing her. Kai's arms restrained by her sides as Vianna let her body fall into Kai's legs, rested her head by her tummy, and squeezed as tight as she could. Kai let the tight grip pass by, before smiling, release an arm and used her hand to stroke Vianna's snow-white hair, following the remaining design of weaved strands of hair creating its plat effect under her fingertips.

"You always were so emotional, weren't you?" Kai broke the silence with a jolly tone in her voice, as nostalgia brought precious memories of them as young, curious, free dalish elven girls touched her mind and heart.  
"Always the first one to cry. Always letting your emotions get to you. Refusing to use magic for fear of hurting someone." Kai paused as she watched Vianna stir, lifting her head up to look at her. As always, Vianna was crying, feeling confused, lost, hopeless and didn't know what path to take for everyone's sake.

"And yet, I look at this face I know and love so much, and I have to question myself and say: _'Is this the same girl I knew all those years ago?'_ " Kai smiled as she wiped the tears away from her friend's icy glazed eyes.

"I don't know Kai. I am being honest right now, I really don't know who I am anymore." Vianna changed her position, placing her head on Kai's bent knees like a pillow. Curled up like larva, and began to speak out.  
"I don't know the difference between Vianna and the Inquisitor anymore. I struggle to accept the title Harold sometimes. I'm an elf, a Dalish elf. How can a knife-ear just transport from the shadows of the forest to the peak of greatness? I've learned so much. I've gained so much. Lots of things I'm grateful for, like my knowledge, my magic, my friends, my..."

Vianna made a sharp pause, held her breath and retreated her tongue. The words were there, but the emotions came sneaking in first, with the core memories following in close. That deep stabbing feeling in the center of her chest struck hard. Her hand clenched tighter than ever as she felt the bandaged bone press into her skin, feeling her pulse circulate raging blood and stinging ice magic through her fingers.

Suddenly, the awkwardest moment happened. Kai's stomach released a huge hungry growl right in Vianna's ear. It rattled and growled for ages as Vianna suddenly sat up and looked at Kai, now looking completely embarrassed, as she rolled her eyes around looking for a distraction.

Vianna burst into laughter. That moment was just what she needed to dig and tickle deep right on her funny bone. The humor was so serious to her she couldn't control herself as Kai repeatedly told her to be quiet out of shame, but it wasn't working. The contagious laughter soon spread, as Kai began to giggle at the reactions. Soon enough both girls were in fits of hysterical laughter, struggling to breathe or talk.

"Oh, I've missed you, Kai! Its been too long! I have an idea, you should come back to Sanctuary with me! we could..." Vianna paused by demand as Kai scrunched up her face and looked extremely worried all of a sudden, putting her fingernails to her lips like she was trying to bite on them out of nerves.

"Yeah..." Kai stretched the word as long as she could before putting back that nervous look in her eye.  
"Hold that thought though!"

Kai crawled on her hands and knees, reaching for the edge of the solid marble rooftop slab. She tugged on a black iron handle, opening the door to the stairway leading to the roof of the building. She reached down, and pulled out a huge picnic basket, reached back bringing a thick rolled up blanket, and then pulling up not one, not two, but three bottles of wine, and one final treat especially for the mage, another small basket containing lyrium potions.

_"Okay? I'm now completely baffled to see a huge picnic basket, big enough to contain enough food for at least six people. A rug? Ok, so she had definitely prepared this. How much wine? She better not get me drunk! **Scoffs** Bless her, she never did forgot those."_

"You prepared this didn't you?" Vianna crawled forward on her hands and knees, smirking at her friend as she unraveled the rolled up rug. Kai grabbed one of the bottles of wine, dipped her hand into the basket, pulling out two clay cups. With a confident flick of her golden blonde hair, Kai picked out the cork of the bottle with her mouth, spat it to the floor, shrugging her shoulders with a smirk on her face in response.

"Kind of..." The girls enjoyed one small childish giggle. The wine was poured, the rug was set up, now the two girls can enjoy a blissful moment in each others company once again. The clay cups clank against each other, as the girls toast to their reunion, sip on the light rose wine, and soon turn to the food basket.

Kai had always loved cooking. Once upon a time on a bad winter, traveling with the clan, food became scarce, and the bottomless stomach of the growing girl could not handle the conditions of malnourishment. From that moment, the girl learned to cook: anything and everything that was edible. Once she discovered sugar though, she never turned away from any recipe, spice, or form of sweetness she could use to add to her culinary skills. So it was no surprise as to why Kai needed a large food basket for such an occasion.

There were handfuls of mini bread rolls, made of all varieties of wheat and oats, filled with either bark smoked ham or a tender shellfish. Small baskets of freshly picked fungus and vegetables, others with exotic fruits looked like rainbows captured in a bowl. The strong smell of a zingy hot spice came from pieces of cold meats as they were unraveled from the fabrics protecting them. Another bowl had a mixture of cheeses, accompanied with some rye crackers. And not forgetting, dessert upon dessert upon dessert. There was wild berry muffins, glazed strawberry tarts, citrus and lemon cupcakes, cinnamon and apple cookies, sugared dough bites, and her personal favorite, a chocolate mini pot, filled with gooey smooth chocolate to tip anything in it.

For hours, the girls dinned on the wine, feeling a little merry then went to enjoy the irresistibly tasty food. They talked endless words with countless discussions. They laughed at the awkward and funny stories to share. They even let out a few drunken tears and shared supportive hugs on their worst experiences. Kai soon explained how and why she ended up being in Sanctuary, slipped in a few little secrets of how she was able to detect the one-way escape route and strategize an escape. The wine was sadly getting low, just as they brought up a particular story of themselves as children.

 

> As a young pair of girls, under Kai's influence, they were always sneaking out of camp and running in the forest under the cloak of night. The keen blonde archer was desperate to successfully hunt something bigger than a rabbit and had no regrets in disobeying her parents, and her keeper, and refusing to wait. With her friend beside her, they would stalk the trees, concealing in bushes and shadows, listening to nature whisper, hoot, click and croak. Vianna was always falling behind, a nervous wreck out of fear of getting caught, or hurt. The blonde was like a beast sniffing the air for fresh blood, praying on the hunt. Her bow placed with an arrow, ready and in position. The over tensed fair-haired one would turn and look at every noise, believing the illusions of wind and moonlight dancing with nature. Her hands close together generating magic energy of ice within her palms.
> 
> The girls got lucky! A halla made a graceful slow walk into an open clearing. Its white ivory body shone in the moonlight, its spiraled antlers pointing to the canopy of leaves as it lowered its head to the ground. Kai halted and kneeled, concealing her body in the nearby shrubbery, brow low, locking her eyes on the target. Kai hoped to make a clean shot through the throat, but when she informed her companion the plan, the girls soon started to argue. One wanted to make the shot, the other didn't want to witness the death of a halla. One explained it would be a blessing of the gods, while the other said it would displease them. Naturally, they whispered, then they started to hiss and mumble at a low tone. The need to express themselves through body language was coming forth too strong. Not a good idea as their arms and legs made too much rustle within the bush, attracting the high alerted halla. Stubborn, impatient, perfectionist kai didn't want to listen anymore. The child attempting to be a grown-up was now back in the skin of her age, as she failed to remember her training. Raged with impatience and disapproval, she carelessly shot her arrow, making it sore too high and too far left.
> 
> The spring of the bow, the slice of tailed wood through the air, the halla made no choice but to run away from its high sense of danger. Yet the wild creature failed to realize, as so did the girls, they were all under the presence of a bigger beast of the food chain. As the halla moved its hind legs to sprint to safety, a pitch black furred wolf leaped out of the shadows of the forest, pounced directly onto the halla, pinning it to the floor snarling and growling. Kai wanted to scream, but Vianna was quick to cover her friend's mouth, hold her close and drag her to the floor. The girls lay low, alone, scared, lost, as they watched a wild wolf tear at the tough muscle and skin of his catch.
> 
> Kai began to panic. She wasn't ready, she wanted her mother and father. She realized why she needed to wait and learn things one step and a time. Her fear was sending her into serious shock. She struggled to breathe as she continuously repeated the dalish warning "Fen'Harel ma ghilana." Vianna attempted to calm her down, but her magic was also reacting negatively to her own fear. Her body was making the atmosphere temperature drop and her hands were becoming hard in texture, cracking like ice being shattered at any kind of movement. Suddenly the wolf let out a loud, long howl to the trees above him. Its calling was the alarm going off in Kai's head. The girl released a blood-curdling scream, she panicked and ran back to the camp, leaving her bow and quiver in the dirt, and her friend she accidentally tripped over, behind.
> 
> Vianna had time to react as her friend screamed, shuffling and pushing her out of the way. Kai was so dazed in her terrified state she accidentally trod on her friend's legs during the scurry. The mage was now in a lot of discomforts as she watched her friend quickly disappear through the dark forest abandoning her. Not knowing what to do, Vianna turned round suddenly, only for herself to release a cold scream of fear, realizing the wolf's nose was now inches in front of her. As she screamed, the wolf suddenly howled back. The creatures song made Vianna stop, not only did it hurt her ears a little, but she flinched in fear at the sudden movement within the creatures face.
> 
> She huffed and puffed with fear, her icy breath escaping her mouth, clenching her fists. Her shoulders tensed up, head turned away with closed eyes. Waiting, and expecting to meet her death by the jaws of a wolf, but instead, the wolf finished his song and stood there. His moist nose reached in close to the elfs skin, his breath felt like a warm fire against the skin on her face. The smell of fresh blood and damp fur lingered strong. The beast snorted and huffed, causing the girl to flinch, but soon enough, the girl dug deep into her own bravery, let it out, and opened her eyes. She recoiled at the sudden sight of the wild wolf inches from her face, attempted to remain calm, but soon, both of them just looked at each other.
> 
> The wolf licked his lips, removing the droplets of blood soaking in the fur upon his snout. Vianna's blue eyes began to shine directly into the creatures dark brown, scanning every detail of his facial features, and listening to his breath as it continued to warm her skin. For some unknown reason, the girl smiled, and let out the tiniest little howl she could produce at the lowest tone. The second she puckered her lips, the wolf soon copied and released a smaller howl, then continued to look at the elf. The wolf didn't want to move, yet the girl felt like she couldn't, not knowing if it was fear, magic, or amazement keeping her there, staring into the face of danger, into the eyes of the rebel god himself so to speak.
> 
> The innocence of the girl started to reach through, melting the cold magic, taking the fear with it. The girl who would spend hours with her nose in books and scrolls, listening to stories from the keeper, studying her own ancient language and culture instead of catching rabbits, crafting weaponry or throwing sticks in the river. No longer afraid, no longer threatened, was staring at a true wolf. The girl felt enchanted, bewitched, as she began to daydream, going to a place she would wander off to regularly.
> 
> "You are one of the rebel's agents. Fen'Harel ma ghilana, that's what we say to you. Yet, you sit before me, at peace. Am I being guided well? Fen' Harel?" The pure innocent young girl spoke so sweetly, such compassion, just peace in her words. The girl questioned the fear, the dread, the myths, the legend as she gazed upon the true beast herself, wishing to touch him.  
>  Her own curiosity was being pushed to the edge, as the wolf gave one last snort towards her. She had to touch him. She gently moved her hand up, aiming to rub the fur on the creature's neck.
> 
>  
> 
>   
> 

"And then BOOM! The keeper comes charging in with her awesome spell, oh you know the one I mean, *hick* and scared the shit out of that thing, that's when we got you back. Oh, by the gods, that was a close one! I can still feel that cane across my hip to this day, but it was so worth it." Kai finished off the story at a very loud drunk tone of voice. She gulped down the last mouthfuls of her wine from the clay cup, happily chuckling to herself reliving the memory. She reached for the wine bottle and helped herself to some more. She held the bottle out to top up Vianna's cup, but her arm fell to gravity and looked very concerned.

Vianna was holding her head down low, crying with resistful sobbing. She unraveled the bandage on her hand, the hand bearing the anchor. She took in a deep sigh and looked at the green ancient marker, now centered in a shiny layer of blue mana burn scarring for the first time. She turned her head slowly, as she placed her sight onto her opposite hand, holding onto the wolf pendant. She held it tight, placed it against her heart, resting her scarred hand on top and clenched harder.

_"Did you choose me? Was that you with me? Did you bring me to you? Were you meant to be with me? Did you follow my path? Have you been guiding me?"_

"Vianna? snap out of it! are you ok? speak?" Kai shook her friend furiously on the shoulders, but Vianna wouldn't move her head, all Kai was doing was shaking off the tears running down the girls pale skin. Eventually, the girl did open her mouth and say something, but she didn't speak, she sang. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxDXF8b6Ong>  
Her voice was like an angel. Her heart was heard, her emotions were felt, her loss gave pain, her loneliness brought sadness, releasing it all using the power of song. Kai too began to cry by the emotions in the song and having to hear her friend cry out in such pain. She wished to reach out and hold her in her arms, cradling her like she used to and remind her she was safe and never alone. Suddenly something weird began to happen.

*A sudden shine of blue and green light projected from Vianna's palms, blooming in shine and strength as she maintained her long notes, making Kai scurry back from the sudden shine. As her voice grew in volume and power, so did the magic, bringing forth a strong presence and pressure around her body. The mass of magic power was too strong, as Vianna continued to repeat the melody scaling in high pitch and volume, maintaining perfect length in her voice. The magic had to release itself from its casted core, creating a projection, a memory, within the walls of the dome once coated with diamonds. Kai was in disbelief as she looked at the new surroundings. Vianna continued to scale her beautiful voice, controlling the illusions around her, molding the magic, the music, and her emotions like clay, she created a still image in Kai's line of sight. Kai looked over, as she watched her friend stand before a bald-headed elf. The man attempted to walk away, yet was stopped by the touch of Vianna's hand against his arm. Within seconds, the male turns around, reaches for Vianna and pulls her close, holding her body to his, wrapping his arms around her with his lips locked tight onto hers. Together they enjoy their moment of love, only for a few seconds before completely disappearing like smoke to the wind, as Vianna stopped singing.

"I love him, Kai, I know he loves me, and I'm going to get him back. I need him back. I want him back. LAS AR MA VHENAN!"

The cries of pain couldn't hold back anymore. No more brave face, no more heart of steel, no more cover-ups. Vianna showed how she truly felt. She was just so confused. It broke her heart more knowing he walked away after saying what they had was real. She felt his love for her, the moment they kissed in the fade, that was the day their hearts fused as one. She still hears her heartbeat, somewhere in the distance, knowing her bond to him drives him, and he too wishes to become whole with her again.

"I will help you! I promise. Come here silly." Kai got what she wanted, after waiting patiently and calmly. She guided her distraught companion back onto her folded knees, and let the girl cry. Kai gently began to unravel the strands of long white hair, knotted and messed up from the wind, and soon began to remake it to its beautiful style. Vianna continued to weep, creating a wet patch of tears in the fabric resting under her cheek. She soon runs out of tears, but the pain was still there, yet having Kai close by made her calmer quicker. She could feel her friend tug on her hair, fingers brushing through tough knots and fingernails gently massaging her scalp. The smell of sweet fruits was her scent, it always brought a warm sensation of being "home" to her heart. Vianna wiped away her tears, blinking at the sight of the gold and ember dawn rising on the horizon of the sea.

"We have been up all night," Vianna stated as she reached for an open bottle of lyrium in arms reach, sat up and started to drink the liquid magic, making sure she was topped up to keep the shield active. Kai just finished recreating the plat, minus the features of nature as the wind damaged or removed most of it.

"We really should head back, I've just realized everyone will be extremely worried about me. Oh no! What state will Dorian be in?" Vianna slapped her hand on her face, dreading what he could have said or done once her disappearance was announced.

"Oh don't worry, we are going to make a grand entrance!" Kai wrapped up the rug and gathered the baskets quickly, a keen look on her face, and her words didn't sound trusting at all.

"Oh no really? Do we have to?" Vianna responded disappointed but also expecting something like that.

* * *

  
It was the early hours of the morning, and the light of dawn was just making its way to the windows reaching into the main hall of Sanctuary, shining on the lone soul in the room. Varric soon passed out from tiredness and fell asleep on the couch watching the fire burn out along with his inspiration. All the adults were still tucked up in their beds, but the children soon appeared, all awake and aiming to create mischief already. A small gathering of young girls giggled and whispered amongst each other as they began to draw over Varric's face with colored ink as he slept. Another group of mixed children of ages was in Dorian's room doing the same thing. A third and final group, mostly the boys, were rigging Fenris's room with traps, setting something to scare him out of bed, onto the oil covered slippery floor.

The trouble makers were all set, waiting to see the final display of their creative masterminds. The group in the hall waited and played until the other two soon joined them. Once all the little devil in angel wings gathered together, they dashed to the dining room, all giggling and mumbling, pushing and grabbing, yet smiles lit up their faces, as most cluttered by the tiny break in the door, and waited.

They knew Fenris would be waking up soon, crack of dawn was his alarm. Instead of having the elf wake up to his empty room, resting in his empty double bed, wanting to look by his bedside and say "good morning" to a picture of Hawke he keeps, he was greeted by the sight of his photo replaced with a dagger.

The elf panics. He starts to rummage on the table top, unable to see his precious picture. he then makes a leaping attempt to get out of bed. The sheets tangled up in his feet as he poorly attempted to kick them off. The second he placed his feet on the floor and stood up, his legs swing up in the air and he falls flat on his back. The elf swears and curses beyond believe in dalish from the sudden impact of the fall. He shouts with rage in his throat as he struggles to stand up on the oil coated patches surroundings, using his bed, his table, and the wall to walk around. He looked like a baby learning to walk in his bedwear trousers hugging objects, before successfully reaching his bedroom door.

"Shemlen!" Fenris roared a rough deep voice out into the high walled empty hallway. The echo sent a shock of sound through the hollow empty room, scaring Varric out of his sleep. In a fit of confusion, he rolls off the couch, hitting his nose on the floor. The displeased dwarf got to his feet as he rubbed his nose, grunting to himself in pain.

"Varric! Where are tho-" Fenris attempted to leave his bedroom after hearing Varrics hard toned body tumble on the wooden floor, but only made it two steps before his oily feet made contact to the shiny wooden floor, and the poor guy was falling on his hips and bottom yet again.  
"Where are those devious little rascals!" Fenris demanded, even angrier as he grunted in pain and rubbed his hip.

Varric quickly rushed up to one of the sets of bending staircases, soon greeting Feris on the floor, struggling to maintain balance as he attempted to kneel using the wall for support. The dwarf attempted to help the elf up, who was now at his own personal level. The elf and dwarf rested eyes to eyes, nose to nose. Fenris stared with wide eyes forgetting about his oily feet, making Varric look back with confusion. The dwarf leaned in and gave the tiniest shake of the head with a shrug, raising an eyebrow.

"What on earth happened to your face? It looks like ink." Varric listened to the elfs statement, touched his face and instantly disappeared to go look at his reflection.

"Hey, help me up first, idiot!" Fenris clung onto the corner of the wall as he felt his feet lose grip and slip by the slightest movement, watching Varric walk away to the hall to look at the grand mirror upon the wall near the fireplace.

"What the hell are you shouting for?" Dorian swung open his bedroom door furiously, a face of thunder, his eyes puffy and bloodshot red, staring at Fenris as he too struggled to stand, but the liquid making him wobbly was resting on the front of his head in the form of a deep painful headache.

"oh no! not you too!" Fenris stared wide-eyed yet again as he saw Dorians face covered in colored ink. He looked like he had a black eye, something similar to a red scar on his cheek, with random squiggles over other parts of is olive skin. His mustache and eyebrows were decorated with a red paste, sparkling under the rising rays from the sun.

"Where are those shemlens!" Fenris was adamant to stand up and get to the hall. All he had to do was reach the balcony area by the stairs, then his feet will be against soft beige plucked cloth instead of waxed ebony wood. He dug his nails in deep and clawed up the wall, his entire right foot skid on the slightest movement. His patients had finally left him, his lack of sleep, the loss of his precious photograph, the pup evolved into a wolf and unleashed his wrath. Fenris revealed a tiny dagger from a well-concealed pocket against his bent right leg, used the dagger as an ice pick, and dragged himself across the floor, slipping in all directions between both legs, and finally reached the soft material. With a huff of agitated relief, he finally walks down the stairs, trying very, very hard to ignore the sudden buffed laughter coming from Dorian's clenched lips, soon turning into jolly loud cries of contagious laughter.

Varric by now was attempted to rub off the remaining ink marks he accidentally smeared all over his face when he hit the floor. His entire nose was black, some smudged over to his eye, more ink swept across his upper lip and across his cheek. No matter how hard Varric tried, he just made it worse, but he kept going, completely ignoring the sudden emotional man and the hungover jolly guy wake up on not the best mornings.

The whole time, the children heard every word, every noise, all begging to get a glimpse on the action as they fight over the gap in the dining room door. They laughed, they muttered, they scrambled over everything they have done. Some of the newcomers were a little scared once they heard Fenris bellow his angry voice and offensive word. The known faces who love Fenris explained: he might get angry, but it's not for long, and 'shemlen' was easier to direct the"quick children" for him to give discipline when needed.

All this clowning around, the aggression, the hungover delusions, it was the worst morning ever for the men. As Varric continued to rub his face and look for water, Fenris finally felt like he could walk once the cloth removed most of the oil, while Dorian badly attempted to walk over to the banister, continuing to put himself in fits of aching laughter, his head was pounding but he didn't care.

Sudden the crash of the wooden main doors into the lobby broke open with a huge force. It was kicked open, bringing in the fresh morning dawn sunrays into the home, showing the morning blue sky, all presented by two females, standing within a serious struggle.

"All right, back off everyone! If you want your inquisitor alive you do as I say!" Kai barged through the doors, holding Vianna in front of her, restrained in an arm and neck lock with the other hand holding a knife against her neck. Vianna looked like she was in a struggle and a little nervous as Kai threated the men, but the joke ended as soon as it began.

It backfired within seconds, as the 'Grand entrance' caused Varric to suddenly turnaround, showing his half painted face. Fenris completely lost track of where he was walking, making an embarrassingly awkward revival of falling over, gaining leverage from the backrest of the couch instead. Dorian instantly stopped laughing, his face sunk as he rubbed his eyes like a child, instantly questioning "Is this a dream?" All three men pause and stood there, in shock, silence, disbelief. "Is Vianna here? is she really back with us?"

"Vianna, stop it, Vi-" Kai mumbled in her friend's ear as she comfortably held her within a restraining hold, holding onto one of her trusted tools, under the blood bound trust she held it safely by her friend's throat. All she had to do was pretend to look like she was not in a good position and needed help: "Got ya number two" in the crafty girls' notes.

Vianna just dropped Kai's arms from her chest and pushed away from the hand containing the blade with ease. She took three solos steps forward, aiming just that little bit closer to Varric, making the dwarf tilt his head to her line of sight as she got closer. It was like the last few months were never as harsh to the girl as some people might remember. Her grace in her presence felt pure, the air she brought from the outside was fresh and clean. She looked fresh-faced, her eyes looked clear, her giving its silver shine.

Vianna soaked this all in for a few seconds, she then finally cracked. As she gazed upon a dwarf with a large round black nose, watching Fenris look like an ice skater, and seeing Dorian decorated in a red paste and an eye patch, she cracked. Failing to keep her lips shut, a laugh spat out of the tiny gap, her throat released a condensed chuckle, but the more she looked, she just broke down, yet again into a ball of laughter.

"That's it, I'm going back to bed! I can't deal with these hallucinations anymore." Dorian slammed his fists on the banister, stumbled his words with a lot of sorrow lingering as his feet failed to turn him around. He felt hurt having to witness the purity of Vianna before him once again, actually seeing her happy, hearing her feel good, just aching to smell that beautiful scent again, to feel that unique touch of cold skin, yet you could feel the warmth inside her.

Vianna heard him, looked up to her right and watched him as he attempted to turn. The girl quickly triggered a Fade Frost step. She was in front of Varric on the main floor, now she was suddenly in front of Dorian, passing through his physical form as her body molded into the form of a cold mist, giving her this unique passage. The cold hit Dorian instantly, he gave a shudder, rapidly rubbing his arms, his knees shook as his teeth shuddered. His hands began to sting as the cold traveled up every layer of skin and every hair on his body the cold could reach. He rubbed them, giving an occasional blow within his cupped palms, it was then he realized...

"...Why are my..." Dorian stopped caring about his hands, his head shot up, eyes wide, the shuddering stopped as his jaw dropped, just gazing as Vianna just stood before him smiling and giggling at his unknown childish _"entertainer for hire"_ style. The shock transcended into reality. He exhaled a huge breath of relief, his fallen jaw rose to a glorious smile, his brain finally come to reality and saw Vianna was real, finally reaching his arms out and grabbing her, forcing her tightly into his chest. He heaved again with more bliss, more delight, realizing his Flower, his sister, his best friend was back and safe, one hundred percent delightful, and more joyful than ever as she returned the embrace, still laughing. The shock was sending Dorians semi-intoxicated state wild, he was so scared, so nervous that he was still asleep, or in the face, or was the drink still holding his brain as a hostage. He soon figured out she was back, holding her, she was holding him, as he kept grabbing her face, stroking her hair, kissing her forehead, smelling her natural serene scent.

Vianna was able to finally breathe, and move a little, and soon noticed over Dorian's shoulder, all the children were standing on the stairs, behind Varric and Fenris. All their eyes wide open, curious, yet scared. Vianna laughed again, after the revisit to the decorated dwarf and the dancing elf, hinted Dorian to ease off just a little, so she could open up her arm to everyone on the stairs.

"Did you miss me?" That was all that was needed to make Varric and the children run towards the recovered, walking, talking, laughing elf they all cared for days and nights with all their hearts. Fenris refused to get involved, he just chose to be pushed by the children and rest against the wall. The man lowered his head and folded his arms, seemingly sulking, but he soon lifted that hidden face, his dark eye shined through his messy silver hair. Seeing the girl look so happy, and hearing the children show theirs in return brought a little smile of happiness breaking the dead flat lips of the stubborn elf as he continued to watch.


	12. Flashbacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did Kai know about Vianna? How did she wake her up? Well, the answers and questions must be told, but do these rules apply when it comes to Vianna and what happened to her?

It was a very emotional, awkward morning, but after a lot of hugs, tears, and laughs, everything blended into one, and the people of Sanctuary could continue on with their day. The children, of course, were not scolded for their actions, Varric did give them all "the finger" as a warning, before they had to get cleaned, dressed and fed before schooling. The exhausted dwarf cleaned himself up, tidied up his paperwork from the previous night, and prepared for the morning routine.

Once Fenris was cleaned up, he watched the children responsible for his prank, clean up the floor, and every footprint and drop of oil he could see. The children couldn't help but laugh as they casually endured the so-called punishment, as flashbacks of him slipping over the floor clouded their minds the more they cleaned. The child who "miss-placed" Fenris's photo did return it unharmed, but the over emotional man couldn't even bear to breath a word of gratitude once his hands touched that wooden frame. Fenris was now desperate to get out of the house. Once the task was completed, he found his voice and informed Varric he was off on a hunt: "I need blood," he claimed.

Varric wasn't an idiot. He has known everyone long enough to see that glimmer in their eye, and the emotion they express. There was no anger, or rage, or berserker in him. There was a pain, yes, it was his own, pain of loneliness. Violence was never Fenris's cure, sitting in his favorite corner of the tavern, shadowed in a cloak of black fabric and having his tankard filled regularly was his remedy, until the last coin left his pouch, and his last thread of energy snapped in half, all while looking at his photo of Hawke.

In the private bathroom, a healing glyph was protecting the door, slowly releasing magic into the room to help cure the hungover male and the fractured girl. Dorian was being pampered like a baby, as he and his sister, his best friend, his femme fatale girl spent hours together. They were grooming their hair, with a few little repetitive tugs from each other. They exfoliated each other's faces, giggling like children as they made funny shapes and patterns on their noses and cheeks. They joked they giggled, they mocked, as both of them never felt more joyful, clean and relaxed than ever since this journey began.

The day was as normal to all. Teachers arrived and educated the children, today's lesson: Cooking, with a little treat thrown in. It was a beautiful day outside so Vianna and Dorian decided to spend the afternoon in the market. It had been a long time since Vianna saw a market outside Skyhold. The smells, the textures, and colors from all the stalls. The gentle chit chat of the local hustle, merchants, and customers. So many variations of weapons, armor, clothing and magical items. Vianna took advantage and replenished her herbs, dried barks, flowers, potions, and elixirs, all freshly grown and delivered that day.

Both the excited shoppers treated themselves to something of course. Dorian chose a very old fashion styled goblet. A lot of the markings had dissolved, but one marking he recognized. This was a "chained knife cup". A cup only the elvhen servants were allowed to drink from once they were placed under a masters control in Tevinter. If they were good, it would contain water. Depending on their master, it would contain an alcoholic beverage. If they were bad, it was their own blood. They had to pierce their finger onto a sharp spike, secretly resting under the base of the goblet. This was the blood they had to store within the goblet and then drink. Just one sip was enough, for the master to then "demonstrate" what happens when a servant disgraces their master, with blood magic.

Vianna treated herself to a perfume. The moment she felt the light, floral, yet sweet and fruity smell touch her skin, a rush of nostalgia swam over her. Growing up in the open wilderness, surrounded by flowers and feeling the cool breeze. Smelling the food being cooked and baked in the early morning for the day to come. It brought a calm to her soul and a smile to her face. Now having Kai with her, it was more heartwarming.

Dorian and Vianna returned to Sanctuary just as the closing stall bells rang, both presented a huge gathering of fresh meats, fish, vegetables, seasoning and additional food to the kitchen for tonight's meal. The children had finished their schooling and were only interested in their inquisitor since she entered the building. She answered as many questions that were thrown to her as best she could. To entertain them before dinner, she displayed her magic skills of ice. Recreating the magic, forming the ice crystals within her right hand, she used her mind to manipulate it into forms of rabbits, butterflies, hallas, even bears, giants, and dragons. The children stared in awe by the fascinating display, applauding every time something spectacular happened, or if an animal changed, or if the creatures taunted a child for a laugh. The young ones kept pointing at the lady of ice as her eyes glowed a mystic blue, showing her power at work within her soul. Eventually, Vianna had to stop, as the scarring on her hand started to really hurt. She could feel the cross over of the anchor and her magic blend, giving her the same churn of pain in her stomach.

Luckily, the dinner ladies rattled a metal triangle just in time, dinner was on the way. Again, another double table meal spread from corner to corner of each table. Plates of food, baskets of appetizers and nibbles, and plenty of bottled water and alcohol for all. Dorian had already dined his fill by the amazing cuisine before, but this was Vianna's first. The twists and knots in her stomach were as confused as she was at the gluttonous sight. For a long time, she struggled to provide food, even find it, and yet there was enough here, and more, to feed every person within these walls. She honestly didn't know where to begin.

In amongst themselves, and the family they built, everyone dined, shared, talked, and laughed. Soon enough everyone enjoyed their fill. People were about to excuse themselves from their seats, but then the head chef interrupted everyone and asked them to sit. As it was a very special day for everyone, knowing the inquisitor had finally awoken, there was a treat, a huge sweet treat waiting for everyone. The chef tip-toed into the kitchen quickly with excitement. Everyone mumbled to each other thinking what was she talking about? Within seconds, the chef exited the kitchen door, holding an enormous, chocolate, quadrupled layer cake. The four kitchen servants soon followed their chef, heading to the tables, each one also held a plate of sweet treats to be placed on the tables. At the end of the line, Kai joined them, holding onto her favorite treat, the pot of melted chocolate, yet this one was as nearly six times as big as its original size, and it was steaming hot.

Kai was also supposedly punished, by spending the entire day in the kitchen. This is where she has been from the moment the friendly welcoming ended, and Varric returned to his extremely angry face, used it on the girl who lied to enter his Sanctuary, stole his patient and friend, and fleed through a secret passage she shouldn't know about. Yet in the active mind of the blonde assassin, she was confused, as to why she would consider cooking, her favorite non-aggressive hobby, as a punishment? If it was meant to be the firm orders of the chef to be the punishment, there was none there either. Kai knew exactly what she was doing. Once she knew where everything was in the kitchen, she was slithering through people like a snake, carrying pans and bottles, skipping from the sink to the open fire, hopping from counter to cupboards. In a matter of minutes, the chef adored her passion, improvisation, creativity, and dedication into making something look as beautiful as it tastes, and soon enough, the chef left the girl to grace the kitchen like it was her own.

Everyone, especially the children, enjoyed the sugared doughnuts, a spiced sponge pudding, mixed berry tarts, and candy-coated fruits on sticks, all with the chocolate dunking pot. As predicted, this just drove the kids wild once the sugar kicked in, but luckily the teachers and helpers had a game in mind to keep them entertained in the gardens. Hours went by as the kids released their energy, all the friends and adults cleaned up the tables and the kitchen. It was reaching the children's bedtime, but as most of the adults feared, they were not ready to do so.

Vianna had a solution. She quickly raided the kitchen for a few lyrium potions, placed one in each pocket of her tunic, and then approached the children. She caught their attention, and gave them one rule, with one reward if achieved: They must go to bed, and Vianna will tuck them in, and they must remain there until she comes to their bed to say goodnight. All the children ran to the stairways, scuttering to their rooms like ants, all giggling and squealing with adrenaline and excitement at the idea of the lady inquisitor saying goodnight to them. Vianna had a trick up her sleeve though. She greeted the first child, a little girl around five years old. She excitedly jumped around under her duvet, giggling and smiling, showing gaps within her teeth. Vianna knelt by the bedside with a gentle smile and asked the girls name. It was given. Vianna then rubbed the temples of the child's head, said their name, asked them to close their eyes and think of a peaceful happy place. As she gently caressed the soft skin and fine hair of the child, her hand glowed a small aura of amber light. The child smiled under the soothing glow and the delicate touch, as she unknowingly was peacefully being placed under the Sleep spell. It took seconds for the magic to kick in, and soon the smile dropped, leaving the look of an exhausted child in a deep sleep. The lyrium was to make sure Vianna could keep up with every child still awake.

Finally, the last child had been put to sleep. Luckily the mage didn't devour a full bottle of lyrium, but it did make the pain return to her injured hand, considering she used her healthy right hand to prevent anymore discomfort, it still happened. She made her way to the grand hall, it was nice to hear the quiet sometimes, and tonight was a good time. It was even better when she overlooked the area of the fireplace from the balcony. There she saw her friends, all sitting on the red leather couch. The dark wooden rectangular table had a large plate of the remaining chocolate cake, four bottles of wine, and four empty glasses placed dead center. Varric offered his hand out to invite the white-haired girl to join them on this day of celebration with some sugar, wine, a warm fire, and good company. How could she refuse?

The two elves, the human, and the dwarf all sipped on the rich red wine from their glasses, sharing their gratitude with toasts and individual compliments and praise. The wine took a while to soak into the full bellies of the four merry companions, but the bond was enough for them right now.  
Varric felt a light flash in his mind, as he suddenly remembered something he wished to know, from their mysterious guest Kai: How did she find his secret getaway? Kai re-filled her glass to the rim, spilling some over herself as she sat back into the couch, looking over to Vianna who was sat beside her. Both the girls feeling relaxed and getting numb from the food and wine, the fire keeping them warm, they gave each other the approval to explain without speaking a word.

Kai began to explain. The first time she saw Vianna was back at Highever dock. She was working there to get some coins to replenish her arrows and potions when the cry of panic shook the dock out of their beds. Everyone rushed outside into the freezing cold, worrying for the inquisitor. Kai used her stealthy movement, sensitive ears, and shadow blending to skip by everyone, soaking in every bit of information she could get. There was so much panic at the dark late hours of the night, it was easy for her to sneak in the crowd of people offering to help the inquisitor on the boat to Kirkwall. Varric raised his glass as a toast of approval to the lady, as she paused to drink.

Once she was at Kirkwall, she used all her coins for any information, to get to a place called "Sanctuary", a place she heard Varric mention a few times while on the boat. That was when the girl gulped hard as she devoured her wine, not caring as it fell out the glass and dribbled down her chin. That was when she met "Keggy". Even though she was the one looking for help, he found her. Unknowingly to her, she was "trespassing" on his property, if you could call a barely standing wooden shack, used as a storehouse for wine kegs a property. But the man crawled into his cringy looking, creepy talking, too close for comfort clingy self, only admiring her beauty, and vowed he would do anything to help her.

Kai was extremely uncomfortable, but she wasted enough time snooping around to get answers, so she took him with her, offering him payment in gold and gems, half now, half when the task is done, as long as he didn't touch her. Kai continued to guzzle her wine too quickly as her hands shook from remembering the discomfort of being around that man. Vianna placed her hand on the glass, stopping her friend from taking another sip, and reminded her that if she hadn't taken his aid, she wouldn't have found Sanctuary, and helped her friend. Kai got a few of the drunken tears as she smiled at her friend, knowing she needs to calm down she put her glass on the table, jammed some cake in her mouth, relaxed a little and continued the story.

As the unlikely duo walked through the quiet streets, Kai got a string of information out of the seemingly useless man. He informed the girl about Fenris rescuing slaves or anyone in need of aid, bringing them to Kirkwall, yet leaving no trace. Sanctuary appears abandoned, but it's secretly well guarded with magic. Varric, the well-known dwarf repairing Kirkwall was also known to spend a lot of time within its surroundings. Hearing about Varric was the perfect reason to use the Viscount's keep for a possible camping spot, as it would remain unoccupied at night, thanks to him. Then the infiltration had to come into play. Hours before Varric arrived with the emergency, Kai signed herself up on the registry at Sanctuary, giving genuine information, but five stars acting to the man filling the book. She was welcomed and given the tour, and that's when the panic kicked in, perfect timing to give that registration book a little scramble.

Kai continued to walk about the people as they rushed to get two rooms prepared, finding any potion, healing spells and recipes they could find. Varric was in high command as he gave orders to every guard, anyone with magical gifts to attend her body and protect her room, Dorian also receiving the same care as he was escorted to his own quarters. Dorian then raised his glass, showing a croak in his throat as he spoke of gratitude to Varric for all his efforts, showing that he can see a short stumpy man, with a big heart.

On the first morning, Kai remembers not getting much sleep in her new accommodation, but everyone was extremely quiet, heads were kept down, security was increased, and the tension and sadness in the air made you feel sick. No one wanted to eat, no one was in the mood to play, laugh, or chat. As the time on the clock face ticked away, everyone was paying serious attention to a large printed schedule hanging on the wall between the two staircases. It was a roster, for every man and woman, and the children old enough, to be bedroom guards for Vianna. It only remained filled for a few hours ahead of time, as new people could arrive at any point. Everyone was involved in bringing food and water, soaping the lady, making her comfortable, and most of all protected her and making sure someone was there if she ever awoke. Kai was happy to see she was doing a lunchtime for three hours, on that day. Perfect to snoop around. She made herself some breakfast, but just like the others, she wasn't even in the mood to eat some banana bread. She spent a few hours in the garden, picking some fresh berries she noticed unattended to kill some time. Soon it was her turn to be bedroom guard. The chef called her to the kitchen, presented her a tray of food, and a jug of water through the door gap then pointed to Vianna's room.

Her room always had two guards standing by the entrance, holding either a sword or a bow and quiver ready for the rare possibility of demons. Kai remembers walking into the room and felt like entering a whole new world. The countless number of candles lit the room like a sunrise, the strong scent of herbs and woodland barks. Just one table, two chairs, a bed, and a drawer occupied the spacious square room. Kai froze as her emotions took over, knowing she was looking at the frozen body of her friend, closer than ever, in the quietest room of the building, for the first time in years. Tears began to form in the violet eyes of the girl, the weight of the jug somehow increased under her grip. She stared at her friend, gracefully sleeping, wearing a cream-colored top with puffy shoulders, the rest of her body covered by the duvet. The previous guard had to nudge Kai out of her daze, making her quickly dash back into her role, replaced the man as quickly as possible and shoved him out the door.

Once she was alone, the girl tried ignoring the frozen maiden on the bed and began to snoop. She reached into her back pocket, whipped out a medium sized leather pocket pouch. Inside, a numerous number of fine bristled brushes, many shapes, and thicknesses, a square snap box, containing delicately crumbled chalk, and a device big enough to hold in her hand that looked like a mini set of bellows. Using the chalk, experimenting with her elements of the room, using the brushes, and the bellows, she placed the chalk over various places. If there was any sign of a hidden entrance or a trap door, there had to be a draft from the seal. Using her time effectively, covering up her tracks thoroughly, she snooped around the walls, using the chairs she reached the ceiling, carefully moving the candles with the plate to capture wax, she began to check the bed, and then the floor.

She checked over the wooden panel layout of the floor, soon crawling over to the table. Gently using the chalk and brush, she coated the lines with a thin layer, its delicate weight fluttered to the floor and stuck well, until she noticed one panel, close to the leg of the table, showing a well-hidden grove under the table leg. Swapping from brush to bellows, she blew a pinch of chalk in the air, close to the line as possible, rather than rising into the air and falling back down, it reacted to a small gust of air, giving the chalk a flare upward. Kai looked at the clock in the room, only minutes now remained, no time to check this yet, she had to wait.

Days went by slowly, very slowly! Fenris was becoming more miserable the longer Hawke was away. The children were getting too emotional over the fact none of the guests had woken yet. Varric was becoming torn between work, his duty, and his own emotional experiences with the current situation, not helping the tough skulled dwarf. Whenever the chance was available, Kai was inspecting every room she entered and she was alone, but that bedroom containing Vianna she went to the most. Soon enough, she figured out there was a trap door, leading to Darktown after a risky midnight trip around the block. On that note, Kai suddenly reminded Varric, he needs to upgrade his locks, as they were too easy to pick. When she wasn't in the building she was meeting Keggy on the sly, that's where she planned the 'landing', getting the glyphs needed and placing them in the correct locations. Anything else she needed out of her major collection of supplies, she had hidden at the docks.

Then, Dorian woke up! All the children acted like a special event had come to town, the adults all suddenly perked up, a few smiles were noticed and people had more of a skip in their feet. Everyone was increasing on the positive scale, except Kai, she was increasing on the nervous scale. If Dorian suddenly woke up, with no prewarning, who knew if and when it would be Vianna's turn? that was Kai's calling to make the final move. Again taking advantage of the excitement within the group, she managed to alter the roster, putting her on a late watch that night, then she snuck out to relay a message to Keggy to be ready to meet her.

A sudden random moment happened, Dorian and Varric applauded the rogue. Satisfaction, approval, praise written all over their merry soaked faces. Varric had never heard of her precise skills, amazing stealth, and a sharp mind. Dorian just enjoyed hearing a good story, it was a bonus because he was in it of course. Poor girl got shy, using the cake as an excuse to hide the pink glow shine in her cheeks.

"I can not deny I'm a little bit angry, a little bit jealous, but most of all I am so proud of you for what you did." Varric complimented the girl with a firm tone in his throat, his cheeky grin shining on his lips all for her.  
"You did wrong for the right, and I can't judge you for that, after all, our Flower is here, alive, awake, and well..." Varric reached his glass up into the air.  
"...All thanks to you Kai! Well done!" The dwarf threw the remaining liquid from the glass down his throat, ending with an exhale of satisfaction.

"But now, there is something I must know, otherwise I won't sleep tonight." The dwarf poorly held the glass within his fingers, as he pointed his first finger directly at Vianna's face, raising a curious eyebrow.  
"How did she wake you up? I had the best I could find and the best gold could pay for, and you would not budge."

Vianna felt targetted for a second, getting worried that Varric sounded a little angry? or disappointed? at her? Was there really such a reason to be so cold and sharp? Thinking about it, deep down she knew she was knocked out, but by the sounds of things, it was for a longer time than planned.

"I think I can explain that one." Vianna finished her glass her wine, placed the glass on the table, and reclined back into the warm squeaky leather. A huge sigh escaped her circular posed lips while Kai reached for her hand, and held it tightly within her own. A gentle smile was making her face glow, giving Vianna that little jump start she has always needed to get motivated.

"My mother was called a healer amongst our clan, but if you looked at her true gifts and abilities, she was nothing less of a Priestess. She never mentioned her past, NEVER, but she did teach me a few spells that she had learned in her years, once she knew I was truly a mage. She taught me this spell, just a shielding spell. If a mage generates or absorbed too much magical power, this spell shuts the body down, like a coma, putting it into a meditative healing state, and the magic should be suppressed, while I go to The fade, to protect my mind."

Varric gulped hard hearing these enchanting words. He stared at her with a hint of fear flicking at his heart. Sweat started to roll down the side of his brow, and it was the fire, it wasn't the wine, it was the flashbacks. That crimson red clashing with clear blue, the pulses of magic shaking the ground and the air, even his own inner demon toyed on his discomfort remembering those voices in his head.

Dorian bit his lower lips, now holding his wine glass within his hands and his clenched knees, as the shakes began to kick in. It wasn't the wine or the adrenaline, it was the flashbacks. Watching the graceful girl fight like a warrior, the magical absorbed from the core of his existence, seeing the light of her soul completely drift away within her eyes.

"I still can not remember a single thing," Vianna commented after a moment of silence, rubbing her temples and brow with her fingertips, feeling a headache form the more she tried to remember that night. She started to get upset and agitated knowing this.

"Basically whatever happened to me...I consumed too much magic. I was regenerating too quickly, it increased in mass every time, becoming too much for my body to hold." Vianna's voice started to rise in volume, showing signs of sadness and anger and frustration as her head and hands got twitchy.

"Except I know something went wrong, because I know I did not go to The Fade, or I don't remember doing that, that's bad. I was meant to be out for hours but I can't remember that either, that's bad. I also can tell by the look on both your faces, you are not going tell me anything, that's also bad!"

Vianna was now completely angry, it was definitely the wine kicking in, but everything she spoke came from the heart, and she wasn't wrong. She threw her hand out of Kai's and pointed her finger viciously and both the men sitting before her.

"And just so you can sleep at night tonight like you requested Varric, the only reason she was able to wake me up is that she used a potion we created ourselves. Two defiant little girls with a stolen alchemy set, glorious mistakes can be made. Now you going to tell me something about what happened to me?" Sharp and blunt, yet all true as the girl let out her aggression.

Vianna was trying so hard not to cry, too much wine, too many emotions, too much pain in her head, and now her hand again as she folded her arms. Kai retreated back a little at this point, remaining completely quiet, but observing the three people before her like actors on a stage. Varric took the abuse showing no sign of retaliation. The poor girl is suffering amnesia, she's been awake for just over a day, she is entitled to be upset and confused. Varric shuffled a little closer to the girl, still sulking, but he did not touch her, he just wanted to look into those eyes again, those pure, precious, beautiful blue eyes.

"Flower, look at me...You were unconscious for a week. I had every healer, alchemist, herbalist aid you, I even had mages from other circles to look for you in The Fade, but no one could find you. We just wanted you to wake up, you also wouldn't let go of that damn bone!"

"A week?! But it should have only been a few hours. Bone?... You mean..." Vianna's mind suddenly snapped, the spark clicked in her head thanks to this new information. The wolf jaw bone, resting in the same hand as the anchor, the reason she now has a mana burn scar across the previous marking. She stared at her hand, looking upon the shiny glaze of the mana burn under rejuvenated skin.

"It blocked it...it...he saved me!" She whispered gently.

"What Flower?" Varric leaned in as he failed to hear her speak.

"I'm sorry, I've had enough for the night, I'm going to bed." Vianna suddenly leaped off the couch, stumbling back onto it a few times as she adjusted to get the feeling back in her legs.

"But Vianna you haven't explained..." Dorian interrupted, as he honestly wanted to know what happened, still holding tightly onto the secret he now holds.

"Look, guys, you got your answers, you got what you wanted, I'm awake, alive, and well, that's all you need to know goodnight." The girl staggered, believing she was walking, as best as she could to the flight of stairs. Dorian called out the girls name, but she stubbornly ignored him and continued to stagger to her room. Dorian then attempted himself to get off his seat to catch up with her.

"Leave her alone!" Kai suddenly shouted back to Dorian. She hadn't moved an inch as she lay contently, nearly on the verge of passing out, her eyelids barely open, her lips smudged with chocolate icing.

"Just let her go to bed, she will be fine in the morning, but guys, if you really want to help her...you MUST tell her what happened."

"Your joking right?" Dorian snapped.

"Are you that drunk Sugarplum?" Varric questioned.

"Listen, you don't know what happened to her, we do, and we don't want her going back down that dark path again, do you understand?" Varric spoke back, making indications between him and Dorian this was their choice, but Kai just smirked and shook her head in complete disapproval.

"She. Must. Be. Told...what....happennnn..." Kai's final words failed to be completed as her bloated merry exhaustion self finally falls asleep under the soothing comfort within and around her.

"We can't tell her! Can we Varric? Can we? Must we?" Dorian gripped Varric by the arms hard, looking down at him hoping for the correct answer, but the dwarf remained within pose as he looked at the elf sleeping, then looking to the bedroom door of Vianna, unable to drown out the cries of sorrow coming from their Flower.

"I don't like this as much as you do my friend, but I think Kai is right. She has known her a lot longer than us, she knows what's best, for our Flowers' sake. Remember that promise?"

Dorian just lowered his head and sighed, reaching back, letting go of the dwarf, but left his right hand held out, ready to take the handshake, and the promise to keep. Not only to his friends, not to just Vianna, but also now to the spirit of Hope, they all depend on him, and he was not going to tear apart his friendship for nothing or no one.


	13. Fen'Harel ma ghilana - Dread Wolf guides you

Vianna remained on her bed, laying with her head face down in the feather filled cloth and hand stitched blankets. Barely any light shined in the room, less than ten small candles were lit to illuminate the location of her bed. The wine was starting to reject its comfortable resting place in her stomach as her emotions decided to flare up quickly, making both her and her stomach upset. Her body was swarming in pain, constantly having to resist the urge to clench her fingers as the sensation of sharp strikes of pain swiped across her tender scarred flesh and feeling an invisible hammer banging on the entire surface of her skull.

She soon began to toss and turn under the lumpy texture called a mattress, getting agitated quickly at the combination of discomfort from both problems, she got off the bed, then began to pace up and down the room, breathing heavy through her nose, eyes expressing her intense pain, the floor creaking and thudding in a unique rhythm under her feet walking with strong gravity. She soon brings her injured hand close to her line of sight, staring at her scar.

The pain by now was driving her mad, yet stupidly she increased the intensity, intentionally, as she stretched her hand out as far as she could, then activated the anchor. The green sparks reacted, sending waves of pain through her veins like electricity, her skin throbbing from the magic. She gripped her wrist for resistance, grunted through grinding teeth, hiding her screams, occasionally biting her lip, as she attempted to make one simple ice creation spell using her hand. The palm of her hand now holds a ball of green sparks, reacting like static energy to tiny ice particles forming out of thin air, gaining in size and solid matter at a slow, struggling pace. Both increasing Vianna's pain, overlapping her threshold, yet she held on, gripping her own arm hard, resisting the force of the magic against her weak hand and open wound.

"Just a fish, come on...just a fish." The girl struggled to talk, the pain was soaking every precious breath out of her, gasping for air as her lungs felt empty brought on a small panic attack. The stubborn girl paced more and more, grunting and moaned, huffing under her breath, forcing her grip on her wrist so tight she became numb, shaking her head as a form of self-motivation to not stop, no matter how much the intensity of the pain she was feeling. She could barely even think of the obvious details of a fish, as she let all the remaining strength in her mind attempt to control the magic. She doesn't need to create things from ice, she freezes everything with ice, so the fade magic of the anchor and the mana scar reflecting its raw source of lyrium magic was enough to create anything, yet the creativity needed to think of a tiny fish bopping in the sea was a challenge.

Suddenly the static charges began to spark wildly, almost going white with intense light, her hand felt hot, her fingers could no longer withstand the open tight spread. The anchor was losing control. Vianna let out a tense, low toned mumble of pain, grinding her teeth from the agony as she clenched her fist as tight as possible, sealing off the magic. The pain was too much, too intense as she gripped her clenched hand, holding it tight into her chest. Tears of pain began to form in the corner of her eyes, her breathing became difficult and heavy, forcing her torso to bend downward, curling her up into a ball of agony.

Her heart rate increased, her blood pumping through every vein in her tense muscles and delicate skin, spreading all over her back, her neck, her stomach. Her skin was glazing over with a cold sweat over her brow, cheeks, neck, and chest. She wanted to stand to breathe, but her back was in such pain she felt forced to look at a veil of hair pointing down to her bare feet.

"I can't do it! I can't do it!" The girl rushed her speech, failing to claim enough air to exhale the hidden cry for help behind confusing words.

"What did you do? "What did you do?" Her head was rising, yet her torso remained low. Her hand still clenched tight, being forced into her breastbone. Suddenly she released a totally unexpected, horrible noise, a noise of someone being stabbed through the heart. Just like a sword piercing flesh, it drove through her lungs, her heart, and out through her back. Her heart delivered a double pulsation on impact from the struggle.

"What...did...you...do..." Vianna looked down without a choice, as a green light began to shine so brightly, it was visible through her clothes, coming from her chest. She reached her hand between the layers of cloth, her joints jolting like rusty cogs, as she gripped onto something solid, the wolf pendant.

Like electricity being lured in by a conductor, the mana burn scar linked with the pendant, an invisible lock fell into place the second they touched. The girl's hand and the wolf pendant fused together, creating a gleaming mass of magical energy, like smoke from a fire, swirling all shades of blue and green, expressing sparkles of white light at the base of the connected items.

Confused, exhausted, stressed, and under pressure, all the girl could do was fall weak to the power coursing within her, unable to sense if it's adding more power, or removing it. A few seconds of magical displays fell by as Vianna was able to adjust her head to watch.

Suddenly enlightened, yet not knowing when it happened, that sword in her back was gone, as the pain was no longer there. She took in a relaxing deep breath, filling her lungs to the maximum with oxygen and magic particles, watching streams of water like magic flow to her mouth like a waterfall. It brought relief and bliss through her body, and her soul, releasing any pockets of pain, slowly, but successfully.

The magic continued to form and swirl around the girl's body, gently humming as its movement brushed through the atmosphere of the small bedroom. As the girl relaxed, the magic lifted her off the floor, placing her in a delicate cradling position. The girl's mind was completely blank, but at peace, pain-free, and unknown of her current presence.

Without a knock, without a message through the door, Dorian suddenly opened the bedroom door, keeping his head high, showing concerns in his face, he only came face to face with Vianna, hovering like an object in a force field directly before him. He quickly shuts the door behind him, places his palms on the wood, instantly applying a locking hex, keeping the door permanently sealed, from both ends, then places his back against the door.

"Please no more!" The man begged as he just gazed at Vianna rest in a believed frame of peace and calm, judging by her face alone. The man reached out his arm, hoping to touch the swirling effects of magic with his fingertips. He succeeded, as it glided over his skin, reacting to the magic within him causing an illuminating shine for a split second before continuing onwards in its swirling formation.

"Its okay Dorian." A voice echoed within the air, but Vianna's lips moved. Fear would have set it, but yet Dorian felt at rest, calm at heart, and believed the words the voice spoke. The voice? The voice! He knew that voice, its...

"I've come through the veil, created by Vianna through the connection of her magic of the fade..."The body once gently resting soon became "alive" and moved back down with gravity, then slowly turned to directly look upon her precious friend, eyes shut, and body fully functional.

"...but do not worry, I am only in the capacity of her mind, if I leave this vessel, I will be forced against my bidding, and become a demon, and we all don't want that."

"Your bloody right we don't. Look, why here? Why now? What the hell is going on? Answer me this time damn it." Dorian has finally had enough, as he goes red in the face and spits saliva through his lips as he spouts out his anger, knowingly looking at Vianna, hovering there holding the pendant, but talking to the Spirit of Hope within her mind.

"Can Vianna or anyone else get a break from this continuous mess of toying between life and death? What did she do to deserve this? All she did was love someone! LOVE! Is that really such a crime? even for an elf? Her heart, her mind, her soul are as pure as a morning sunrise on a summer morning. She gives more than she takes, to anyone. She put her LIFE on the line so I and many others could breathe, and walk, and love, and laugh for a permanent tomorrow!"

Tears of emotions started to show, but they were filled with passion, dedication, friendship, trust, and devotion, all for her. No one made that empty void of loneliness completely fade away like she could, so every time she was hurting he was hurting. He didn't hold back, but yet "Vianna" just stood there.

"Dorian please calm down! We know you are upset, we know you have a lot of questions, but I have relayed with her what to say, and with her permission, I am free to explain to you what's happening right now." The girl gently placed her hands together, her free one overlapping her curled hand, still, the jaw bone pulsating and releasing continuous magical energy within the air.

Dorian did take in two big deep breaths and with the third he shook off his tension, giving two individual punches to the air just to release that extra pressure building in his shoulders. This release helped his mind rest quicker than usual, he's getting used to this rather quickly, and then he realized something...

"What do you mean..." Dorian was going to ask a question but was sharply stopped in his place.

"And the first thing to say which is very important. "If you ask about that fact that "I" am speaking past tense, I have permission to remain silent until she is finished." The combination of Vianna's firm, dramatic yet motivating voice and the Spirit of Hope giving robot orders made Dorian's stomach turn upside down. "Did she just scare me?"

"Well?" She tilted her head with a bold question.

"Okay! Okay! I'll stop. I'm sorry...*sigh*....fine then carry on. I won't interrupt, I swear." The man put his hands together as a prayer before crossing his chest with his finger, then pretended to zip his lips. 'Vianna' came just a little close, so her voice was not too intense.

"I have protected Vianna's mind, in The Fade. She is also with me there, do not fret. The magic before you, around her body, this is the remaining mass of the magical energy she contained on that night in the forest. On that night she rejuvenated an incredible, yet an unnatural amount of magic. Her capacities and containment have been trained in such ways, her abilities could reach ten fold with ease IF she had the mentality to do this." Just the word forest sent shivers down Dorian's spine. During a pause in the lady's message, he made a random look to his left, noticing the chair instantly, and without any hesitation, he took the seat. Vianna naturally moved with his location, too creepy!

"She knew you would want to sit down. How sweet." The lady released her own inner giggle at the friendship, naturally enjoying the joy the two people can create. Snapping back to it, she soon cleared her throat and continued the message.

"She was right about the spell, but what she didn't know was this spell was of ancient craftsmanship, and when combined with an ancient artifact..." She raised the hand containing the pendant "...like this one, it paused the shield spell's effect." She lowered her hands back to their original place.

"Rather than the shield shutting her down and suppressing the magic, the artifact reacted to the magic instead, just like Solas's Foci, the Orb of Destruction. Because her mass exceeded her limits, it did cause an explosion, but that was when the pendant started to work, it consumed all that magic, for itself, therefore preventing the mass's successful release, leaving her knocked out for a lot longer than intended, preserving and healing her body, and saving her life."

Dorian couldn't believe what he was hearing. The pupils in his eyes increased as his wide eyes stared down at the floor, adjusting to the dimmer light. He rubbed his temple with his fingers as his arms rested on his knees. Now he knows how he managed to be carried through the Fade even though he was passed out. So many questions were piling on top of one another the more he listened, and yet didn't flutter a mumble.

"Kai did make good intentions, but just like Vianna, she panics sometimes and therefore doesn't think straight, but she gets more impatient than anything else, and that's where she went wrong. All she had to wait for was one more day, and Vianna would have woken up normally. Please don't judge her on this, she is very special, and she will always be forgiven by Vianna no matter what, just like you Dorian."

Dorian felt like he wanted to snap back at her, but his mind was only able to repeat over and over, 'She hurt my Flower!' but he made another shuddery bodily shake and just shook it off, remaining as quiet as he could possibly manage, giving a nod of approval to Flowers wishes as the message was relayed.

"Time is running short Dorian, you have one requested task. You must place my body on the bed. As you can see the magic around her is fading." Dorian quickly stood up, as he only just realized, yes, the magic was becoming thinner and losing transparency. He quickly shuffled beside the weightless girl, hoisting her legs gently and lowering her back on his arms. Luckily he only had to swing her around a little, and very gently, before lowering her into the bed. The magic continued to hover and spread in its perfect spheric shape wherever and however the body moved. Dorian stood over the enchanting body for a few seconds, just standing and waiting, nervous if he was going to get "lectured" again.

"Thank you, my friend, I knew I could count on you. There is one thing I must say, and then you a free to ask one question, and I am free to answer it." The girl looked like she was talking in her sleep, as her eyelids began to give delicate flutters, her eyes were moving rapidly under her eyelids.

"You must remind Vianna of what she has done. She must know, this is no friendly discussion or political debate about this. If you truly do care for her and love her, and she is as important you say she is, then you will fulfill this final bidding upon her return."

Dorian could only gulp hard. He was sweating badly, he breathed hard as the beads of sweat began to trip off the bauble of his nose. Slowly he leaned forward to his friend's body, altered his head so his ear could rest delicately over Vianna's lips. Delicately, she whispered in Dorian's ear, with every syllable, Dorians face broken, it was like he has just seen Thedas finally fall into the pits of endless darkness, and there was no going back.

"No! No! NO! She would no! No way no! Why? Why would she touch that stuff why?" Dorian was in a tornado of panic and anger, as he snapped back with disbelief, raising his head up once again looking down. He didn't know if he wanted to slap the girls face right now in disappointment, or hug her with pleas of grief over the news that shattered him from the inside. But within all this calamity of emotions and thoughts, he didn't realize he asked the Spirit Of Hope a question. Once she had her opening, she answered it...

"She will reverse the powers of Phylactery. Break the lore of magic, the bond of blood, the chain of love, so he will never be able to find her again."

Dorian didn't snap to his previous actions and their consciousness until his brain took the unwanted words flowing freely for him, with nothing but confusion and misleading guidance. He stuttered over some of her words, he struggled to soak in everything accurately, only pinpointing keywords, all while he wished to just take back the fact that yet again he panicked, and didn't pay attention, he flipped out and he asked a question without thinking.

"Lovely seeing you again Dorian, be good to her for me sweetie." The magic had now completely vanished. The light shining from the pendant made one final pulsating shine of power, before descending to its original standard black bone look. The Spirit of Hope had also left, returning Vianna's healthy protected mind back to where it belongs. It took a few seconds for the connection to meld and blend together, as Vianna had to move her eyes beneath those eyelids again, before then twitching her mouth, then turning her head.

Dorian felt like he was about to make choice, on the matter of life or death, just like he mentioned early. He can barely remember what the Spirit responded with to his unwanted question. Should he just repeat what he can just barely remember, and hope she can figure it out? But then he got the stab in the heart, repeating those cold dead words in the same ear they were whispered in. The facts, the details it was small, but enough for a big impact. Was Vianna truly ready to be told? was this THE time?

More minutes drifted as slow as a soldier trapped in a cone of ice through Dorian's eyes. He was stunned with fear, doubt, shock, sadness, he was frozen to the core by the impact of everything around him, and nothing was going to help him make his choice. That was was until Vianna finally opened her eyes!

"Dorian. Its finally finished Dorian. The pain is gone..." Vianna noticed Dorian standing above her, and rather close, went for an instantly big stretch after fluttered her eyelids gently to adjust to her sight. She still continued to hold onto the pendant, but it caught the attention of a very angry and overprotecting best friend debating on his actions still.

"Are you okay?" The weak and drained girl put on a cute childish smile as she took one final flicker of the eyes to see Dorian, knowing his face was before hers. She blindly reached out her unused hand and felt for Dorians bare skinned muscular arm. She gave it gently friendly rubs of comfort as she continued to smile, but her eyes continued to be shut.

"I'm okay now, I promise. I know what Hope told you about the magic. I was protected, and I'm fine now." The girl began to drift gently in her speech as her head grew heavy and began to slump sideways into the pillow beneath her, and her smile lowered. Dorian quickly slapped his hand on top of Vianna hand resting on his arm before it slipped down to her side. He gripped hard enough to hold it onto his skin. He felt warmth, he felt a gentle touch under her tips, yet in her palm, which he then exposed, was still scarred with mana burn, circulating the mark.

The first time Dorian has seen the damage caused by everyone on his precious Flower. The magic bringing her on the brink of destruction, the power of ancient relics in her innocent unnecessary hands, people meddling with affairs they don't understand, al this, written within the lyrium now permanently decorated on this gifting hand. Dorian continued to stare, he was crying, he was fighting rage, he was restraining his own grip, he was shaking to prevent making a single sound, and then, she spoke again...

"Ar larth...ma vhenan..." It was so quiet, it was literally just whispering to Dorian, but to Vianna, it was her thank you to Solas. Through his relic, and through herself, she still holds hard on her love, his love, and their love. It is always the first and the last thing in her mind whenever she is a conscious elf living her days. NO matter how lost, or upset, or confused she got, somewhere she had her Hope that she will be with her love, as it was meant to be. Upon Vianna's bedtime words, she gave Dorian one final tight clench of his hand as she felt his fingers embrace hers before the contact drifted away with her consciousness.

"Well...that's that then..." He too increased his grip on her fingers, together they shared their bond before Vianna drifted off slowly into a much needed deep sleep. Once the energy had left her hand, the distraught man gently placed her injured hand on her stomach, brushed her hair beside her face, and placed a kiss on her forehead goodnight. The broken man then got his chair, placed it beside his Flowers bed, slumped onto the hardwood, fell forward with his folded arms catching his head on the side of the bed, and balled into tears, until he had no more, along with the energy to stay awake for the remaining of the night.


	14. Some good news for Fenris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been a really emotional time for Fenris, but like most things, patience prevails, and after all that waiting, he got the best news he has ever heard since he knew Danaruis.

A new morning begins, presenting the element of surprise, disguised by the term of mundane activities, cooking, cleaning, shopping, playing, meeting, training. Who knows what the day will bring? As time ticks by, turning day to night, presenting the morning breakfast to the planning for tonight's dinner.

Dorian woke to a morning of misplacement, as his consciousness began to slip back into his mortal body, stretching within a wrapped comfort of cloth sewn blankets and feathers stuffed pillows. He was still partly dressed, waking up to the sight of burnt out candles and smell of something floral, his clothes piled on top of an unoccupied chair. The bedroom was empty and all was quiet from behind the closed bedroom door.

With the desire to just turn his body on to his side, nuzzling his smiley cheeks back into the pillow and wrap himself up keeping his bed heat, the realization of the fact he was IN a bed at all, made him question WHY was he in the bed? He fell asleep beside it, sitting in that very chair now holding his clothes, while Vianna passed out and slept after the wolf pendant continued its 'healing spell'.

Dorian lifted himself up from the bed, exposing his naked torso to the natural, colder air. The shuddering kicked in quickly, so the big baby covered himself up to his front with the blanket, adjusting his body as well as his eyes from his deep slumber. His puffy eyes from the previous night were not adding any aid as he scanned the room, noticing the only thing that has made a difference since last night.

Parked up against the table leg, was Vianna's bag she had to replace, container and content, since losing them with the horses back in the forest. Luckily the market here In Kirkwall was very well stocked, as he saw a Bunsen burner, a collection of vials filled with different colored substances, a mortar, and pestle all on the table. All brand new, except for a small collection of paper scrolls, and an open book, with a feathered quill resting in the spine.

Curiosity made this man tidy his mustache and his black bed hair as he observed the table. He knew Vianna loved to get her hands dirty and her mind sharp when it came to her alchemy and herbalism. He personally never understood it, but that little voice in his head couldn't help but say 'look'. The little wimp finally decided to leave the warmth of the bed, and venture towards the table.

Amongst the closer inspection of the table, a single glass containing a small amount of water and a small plate with a half-eaten banana muffin and an apple. Without thinking, Dorian reached over and finished the muffin in two mouthfuls, then held the apple and started to scan over some of the pieces of paper. From first glance, the pieces of paper were written like information sheets, mostly about the flora of Thedas, although the information highlighted didn't sound good for a 'creative concoction'. Dorian began to read the words out loud on the paper once his mouth was empty of food.

 

"Well, this doesn't sound good for first impressions." Halfway through reading, he took a large bite of the red juicy apple then continued, guiding the words with the finger of his hand holding the apple, failing to speak any recognizable dialogue thanks to the juicy, sweet, crunchy fruit in his mouth. The final information sends shudders down his spine, triggering a small blockage of apple down his throat as his neck muscles tensed at the deep descriptions.  He quickly reached for the remaining water in the glass to help clear his throat.

"What on earth is she making?" Dorian swallowed the remaining chewed mush in his mouth just as he finished reading. He then moved over to a completely different piece of paper. This one had the same writing, but the items and information were different.  This was written like a recipe, but sadly half of it was blank.

 

"Whatever this is, I truly hope she knows what she is doing!"  Dorian continued to munch on his apple.  Half of it was consumed as Dorian changed his curious eye away from the paper and admired the collection of tools and equipment, all been recently used. He first brought the mortar up to his nose. He admired the mosaic of crushed powder, shining with deep pinks and hot reds against the dark shaded wood.  The glorious smell reached him before his hand was even close to his nose. He extended his single breath and enjoyed the floral aroma, making him smile and exhaling with a sigh of satisfaction. Placing it back to the table, he turned to the vials containing random liquids. One moved around the glass, so thick in consistency, it looked like treacle. One was nearly full with a rather odd milky looking water.  The final filled vial didn't need any time inspecting, as Dorian, as well as anyone else with the gift of sight, would have seen it was grounded down Elfroot.  Dorian was just about to inspect the book laying open on a particular page, taking three mini hacks with his teeth at the core of the apple, and that's when his own little moment was disturbed by the clicking of the door latch. Dorian turned and continued to slowly munch on the apple, as Vianna quickly popped round the door.  
  
"Oh! Morning sleepy head. Did you sleep okay?"  Vianna greeted her friend with kind words and a graceful smile, as she made a small dash over towards him and gave him a one-armed hug, pulling in tight around his upper back and neck.    
  
"Yes...but how did I end up in the bed in the first place?" Dorian wasted no time questioning the unexplained. He stood still and watched Vianna flutter around him like a helpless, gentle butterfly in a spring breeze after the hug. One of her hands held onto a food bag, while the same arm was gripped tight to her torso, holding a large sealed bottle of milk. Vianna placed the bag and the bottle on the table, quickly tidied up her papers, scattering them to the other side of the table along with her equipment as she spoke.  
  
"I woke up not long after I passed out, and I just couldn't get back to sleep. It also didn't help I had to lay there and watch you, slouched uncomfortably, snoring very loudly, and knowing you had a good cry as the bed was wet under your arms, I had to swap places, so I encouraged you to get into bed." Dorian felt the blood rush to his cheeks hearing Vianna admit she knew he had been crying, but if it was anyone else, he would have gone into defense mode, with Vina he felt good he could let them out, no matter what the reason.  He thought he must have truly been that exhausted, or drunk if he doesn't remember behind hoisted and moved around.  
  
"That must have been the wine last night. Good stuff I must add."  
  
Dorian lingered on his spot just watching Vina move around the table, making sure her items were safe but away from harms reach.  She acquired the now empty glass and placed it beside the large milk bottle.  The food bag made a surprising thud to it as it hit the wooden table.  After a few minutes of fiddling with the knot, the bag flew open, revealing another spread of food over the table. Six berry muffins rolled around amongst each other and two large sized edible bars fell flat quickly on the table.  
  
"So What have you been up to then? However long you have been awake. What time is it?"  Dorian asked his questions as he then decided to at least put something on to cover his naked torso, as he walked over to the chair and picked out his tunic and put it on.  
  
"Don't worry about the time, you needed to sleep. As you can see here, catching up on my alchemy, ready for when we move on with this very delayed trip. And I really fancied some berry muffins for some reason, so I have spent the last few hours with Kai in the kitchen helping her make them." Vianna didn't waste any time picking one of the large fresh muffins she eagerly wanted to stick her teeth into.  It still felt warm at the bottom as she attempted to remove the casing, then she took a large bite into the moist, spongy treat.  The berries gave small spikes of heat in her mouth, but she moaned with such bliss as she enjoyed chewing, swirling the texture and flavors on her tongue. As she finished her mouthful she pointed at the two bars as Dorian came back to the table, who was now tempted to try a muffin himself just by the positive feedback on Vianna's face.  
  
"Try one of those, Its chopped fruit and grains all mixed with melted sugar, they are amazing.  And this is Vanilla flavored milk, its so refreshing!"  The chirpy girl settled comfortably at the table, taking another bite of the muffin and began to pour some of the milk into the glass.  Dorian decided to help himself to one of the muffins first.  He too was surprised to feel the warmth resting within the center of the fluffy cake.  He couldn't speak a word as his lips were sealed after that first bite, enjoying the best berry muffin he had ever eaten, giving moans of high praise, as he kept pointing to the muffin, then giving a thumbs up, repeatedly. Dorian got comfortable, and together the two talked and enjoyed their 'breakfast', just like they used to every day from the moment they met and got to know each other.

* * *

  
Fenris didn't even wake up on this dull weathered quiet morning, as he failed to sleep, even if it was his choice to do so, there was always something to stop him.  Without warning a switch is flipped, and he turns into an emotional wreck, still scared to open up and confide in another, he chooses to run away, and remain quiet, for quite some time. It has been twelve long lonely weeks since his beloved Hawke ventured off onto the map of Thedas, hoping to finish off unfinished business, by flushing out the root from its core, all the way over in Orlais. Of course, he wanted to be with her on her travels, but the big-hearted mage loved and cared for her headstrong elf so much, knowing this mission was solely based on mages and possible blood magic made her convince him to stay, to prevent an emotional personal attack, which could spoil everything.  On top of that, he overheard the adults talking amongst the morning hustle, saying three children will be leaving today.  They were found lost by one of the scouts and brought them to Sanctuary until they could possibly find their parents, thankfully they have been found and now they must be returned.   
  
Every time this happens, Fenris wishes he could just snap his fingers, return back to that dreadful place called Tevinter, be back in those walls, strapped to the instruments of torture, and relive the pain, the agony, the torture, the despair of his lyrium markings being embedded into his skin, than have to say goodbye to the people he rescues and become residence in his home, especially the children.  He forgets that his place is called "Sanctuary" for a reason: A place where some can retreat to for protection or aid, but soon enough they will have to leave its blessing comforts and holy protective vibe and continue on with life.  To avoid the situation, he finds out what time the person, or group leaves, he stays as far away as possible and remains hidden, until he magically appears back home, only to say goodbye, then he would disappear again, but everyone knew that he went somewhere to release the pain in his own privacy. He would never admit he shows any signs of emotional attachment to anyone, but out of respect, and with Varrics clever little whispers, people soon knew the truth, yet kept it hush hush.  
  
Out of boredom, he decided to help in the kitchen ready for the break of dawn morning duties: Starting in the garden, they fed the chickens and collecting the eggs, milked the goats, and finally picking any ripe fruit and vegetables from the large variety of growing pots. Returning back to the kitchen, he gave a helping hand to the assistances's as they began to show up with smiles and 'Good mornings'. Kai, of course, was keen to talk to him, hoping to get Fenris to talk, but he was not going to respond. They started to activate the butter churner, got the oven heated up and ready for the bread, which was currently in the early stages of being kneaded between two people. It was then, when the final assistant, currently making fresh fruit juice by hand, was handed a crate of fresh fruit, along with a message about the news of the three children.  
  
From that moment he finished helping the people and fled to his room.  He quickly got changed and made sure he had what he needed, which was three full medium sized pouches of coins attached to his belt, his Blade of Mercy resting over his shoulder, and his photo of Hawke gently folded and tucked tight to his chest in his clothing.  Without a message or a notification, the elf left Sanctuary, dragged his lonely sorrow filled heart to where only the lonely go to forget, The Hanged Man. Every time he visited, he would reach halfway up the stairs, look up and stare at the large mannequin figure of a man upside down, resting against the brick construction of the building, with his head resting just over the lantern, placed to the right of the double doors. He would always think of the irony of the name, its history, and its customers, especially when someone like himself who is so low, he felt like a hanged man, watching everything that makes him live get tugged away from under your neck, and before you know it, you are 'dead'. For hours the lonely, depressed, hurt elf drank his pain and sorrow away and looked at Hawke's photo. No one approached him, or even acknowledged him, only the barkeeper made his regular visits to his solo round table, to keep his tankard refilled with the strongest wines he had to offer, just how Fenris liked it, until he needed the bathroom, or he knew it was time to go home and relay the words that pushed that hidden blade in his heart even more: "Goodbye." 

* * *

 

Varric was given a day of business, duties, and titles.  The morning mail was everything he hated, deadlines, meetings, confirmations, and signatures. Of course, he would have loved to stay at Sanctuary for whatever reason or excuse there was, but when one of the templar generals put a message out to the guards and left notes around Kirkwall, demanding Varric must make his presence known at the Vicounts Keep, he left with his head low.  He never liked being at the Viscounts keep either, too big, too political, too shiny for someone like him who was perfectly happy with the smell of dirt and disease or burnt food and alcohol soaked beards.  
  
The first think Varric actually wanted to do, was respond to the message received from Alec in Orzammar. Varric sent a message as soon as possible once they arrived at Sanctuary a week ago, informing them Vianna and Dorian had fallen unconscious after a fight with a blood mage, and any updates will be sent to him as soon as possible. He read the response letter. Taking in the information that Alec had finally recovered from his illness, and with Orana, they made their trip safely back to Skyhold.  Orana fit in perfectly with everyone and Alec continued to rest as much as possible, with Cassandra and Cullen keeping an eye on him. once finished he got a clean piece of paper, dabbed his quill in the ink and began to write his response.

In amongst the papers, after he finished writing, he noticed a unique letter standing out of place.  He picked it up and noticed an emblem on the bottom right corner and a huge smile grew over his face and his eyes began to sparkle.  He opened the letter with such excitement and scanned the words.  The more he read, the more his face lit up.  Whatever he was seeing, it was something that made him feel good for the first time in a while.

  
Once that was done, the irritated dwarf sat still in his chair and just staring at the open letters scattered over his work desk.  He knew the price he paid when he put his name, his reputation, and his finances on the gambling table of politics when he agreed to aid the resurrection of Kirkwall since the rebellion broke out.  He secretly has been missing someone deep down too, Lady Aveline Vallen, Captain of the Guard of Kirkwall.  She still maintains her role and duties well, so well she was always needed by Varrics side. Doing something simple, like writing a basic "yes or no" response in the form of a letter was where Varric needed her to push, to remind, to motivate, and throw in the occasional blunt comment about the fact that he made this choice.  
  
After the fifth or sixth attempt to write, he threw the quill onto the table and slumped back in his chair, staring at the paper with frustration for only a minute, before forcing himself to continue writing.  This happened so often he only managed to get two full letters written for the majority of his time in the Keep. He seeled the final letter with a wax seal, and slammed it on the table, thinking its finally done, NO MORE! He then decided to take a look outside his solo window, noticing the sun was fading over the horizon in the distance, he looked at the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall and gasped.  
  
"Have I really been that long just to write two letters? Damn!"  The dwarf pondered on his actions, realizing just how much effort and brain power this job role takes, and it is one of the very rare things that he can't do alone. He scanned over his desk, but then realized there was a bad, but a logical explanation for his extended use of time while working. 

"Maybe I should have left my current chapter until another time..." Varric reached for his own papers and his favorite writing quill resting on the far corner of the desk. He then shook his body back into shape, taking a stand so his blood could return to his feet, stretched his arms up high, leaned back a little to release a huge crack of tension in his neck and shoulders.   
  
"...but I'm not sorry. That scene was too good not write down."   


* * *

It was coming up to late evening.  Dorian and Vianna decided to help everyone around Sanctuary for the day, as Vianna realized, she couldn't leave just yet. Despite the quick recovery by the healing magic, Vianna soon grew weak as the day dragged on. She would have to rest for hours at weird times of the day and a bottle of Lyrium was always by her side or in her hands. Occasionally she would bring up the subject of what happened to her last week to Dorian, but every time it was mentioned, he ignored the subject, couldn't even look at his Flower in the eyes and be honest.  Every time it was brought up, the voice of Kai, and the Spirit of Hope echoed in his ears saying _'she has to know_ ', but he couldn't find the right words or the right time to tell her. He wanted nothing more than Vianna to remain as her pure loving self, yet bringing up a name, a moment, any encounter would have awoken the girls' mind, breaking it down and taking her back down to the weak, confused, lovesick women she became.  For now, his main focus was to make sure she is fully healed and well, ready to continue onto their journey.  
  
The time was vast approaching for the three children to say thank you and goodbye to everyone.  Kai made them all a box of sugared sweets and chocolate treats and sweet biscuits to remind them of this place. Vianna had to be there to collect all the tears of the children, which made her struggle to hide her own tears from the overwhelmed emotions.  Varric made his return to Sanctuary, but standing beside him were two humans, male and female.  They walked through the door, and the woman, the mother of the three children, screamed their names out.  The children heard the voice of their mother and ran to their parents with tears and screams of happiness, everyone was crying or hugging each other, as it was a beautiful sight, and it made everyone feel good knowing they helped reunite family and friends back together. Varric allowed everyone to have their reunion but then had to ask the parents to file out some paperwork, and that's when the youngest child suddenly shouted out.  
  
"Where is Fenris? I'm not leaving without saying goodbye to Fenris!"   
  
"Don't worry, I asked Flower and Dorian to go look for him, he will be here soon." Varric comforted the children and escorted them over to the sofa in front of the fireplace, giving them all the opportunity to try, and enjoy, the collection of sweet treats with their parents.  
  
A nervous girl and a tense man walked with stiff legs and slow paces as they exited Sanctuary, walked across the streets of Kirkwall to reach the Hanged Man.  The two suddenly slowed down as they reached the flight of stairs looking in front of the doorway.  Out of nowhere Dorian suddenly acted like a gentleman and was implying Vianna goes first through the door, standing beside it and offering his hands out to the door, the full works.  Vianna just rolled her eyes and pushed the doors open leaving Dorians distorted faced self behind.  Obviously, he was nervous about confronting a man like Fenris when the number one rule was "Don't disturb him!" But Vianna didn't care, as she saw he was no different from her. A lovesick individual who is unable to be beside the person he loves, so all he wanted was to be alone. And knowing how close he is to the children, missing a final goodbye would truly kill him inside, and who knows what he would do.  
  
Vianna silently approached, grabbed an unoccupied chair, dragged it over to the table Fenris sat at in the darkest corner of the tavern.  She gently sat down and placed her arms folded on the table, looking at the veil of silver hair concealing his entire face as he looked down at the photo resting on the table, showing only one of his hands, holding onto the tankard which seemed empty.  
  
"Leave me alone!"  He snapped without moving an inch.   
  
"I'm sorry Fenris, but the children who are leaving today are ready to go. Their parents just arrived. I'm here to escort you back home."  
  
Fenris slowly lifted his head, but all the weight of the wine made his head fall back like a steel weight, he nearly fell off his seat as he swayed to the right, using his own arms to support him. He released a rather sickly sounding burb, then attempted to stand.  
  
"Uggh, fine, thanks for thinking of me, you _hic_ selfish humans. Fine, I'm  _h_ _ic_  going."  The poor man was a wreck, he couldn't speak and he was able to stand or move. His eyes were bloodshot red, his tone of voice was low and emotionless, and his face projected misery. Vianna quickly got up and grabbed him under his arms to assist him as he nearly fell over trying to escape the gap between his chair and the table.  The stubborn elf tried to push her off and away, but his physical strength had also turned to wine itself, he just couldn't manage to release himself under the grip of a woman, while Vianna refused to loosen her grip, this man needed help and she wasn't going to walk away.  
  
"Fenris, snap out of it!" Vianna did the only thing she could at this point, and that was giving him a huge slap across his cheek.  The impact echoed in the room, making the very few people turn their heads, before looking away again to prevent any conflict.  The impact of the slap was so strong, it made Fenris's mushy drunk brain feel like it's just been slapped out of his skull, the dizziness took over his vision, and the impact forced him to lose his balance again.  He put his hand on his cheek, looking back at Vianna with complete shock and disappointment, but there was an angry glare in her eyes, and Fenris honestly didn't know what to do.   
  
"You are going to sober up as quick as you can, go back to Sanctuary, say goodbye to those beautiful children and their parents, and you are going to stay at Sanctuary for the night! Do you understand me?" Fenris stood still and silent, unaware he was swaying on the spot like he was on a boat.  Vianna didn't give him a chance to respond, instead, she positioned herself behind him, grabbed him by his back and shoulders and attempted to guide him to the door, walking past everything like a bull in a china shop, hitting chairs and tables with his legs, or tripping over his own feet. Eventually, they got to the door, of course, Fenris had to fall out of the doorway falling onto the hard solid ground.  Dorian didn't even bother entering the tavern in the end, so he was quite shocked when one minute there's nothing, then witnessed a silver-haired mage all in black fall to the floor like a comedy sketch. Vianna quickly reached to him to help him up, then noticed Dorian just standing there, giving her a shrug of the arms, causing Vianna to roll her eyes again.   
  
Fenris suddenly started coughing as he attempted to get to his hands and knees after the winding impact of the ground, but that was just the punch to his sensitive stomach he didn't need, and soon enough he regurgitated and began to vomit all the wine still resting on the top of his stomach. Dorian turned around and walked away, attempting to not gag himself at the grim sight, but Vianna wasn't going to leave just by the sight of some puke, she knew this was good for him if she had to get him sober enough to walk and talk. She continued to rub his back and allowed him to remove the alcohol out of his system, then asked Dorian to stop being a wimp and go get his Blade of Mercy and his photo they left back in the tavern.  
  
Once Fenris was able to stop vomiting, Vianna comforted the man and brought him close to her, he was so weak she only needed to give him a small tug and he fell into her crossed legs. He was breathing heavy, grabbing at his stomach showing a lot of discomfort over his face.  Vianna hated staring at a face filled with negativity, she had to do something.  Dorian soon came back with the blade in one hand, dragging it across the floor as he was unable to lift it, and the photo was safely placed in his trouser pocket.    
  
"Dorian help me get Fenris comfortable, I can't take this anymore, I'm going to try something." Dorian did as his friend asked, placed the blade on the floor and began to straighten out Fenris's legs and arms, as his head and shoulders rested comfortably on Vianna's legs.  The locals couldn't help but turn their heads and fix their eyes on the situation out of curiosity.  It was common to see dead drunk bodies fall out of the tavern, or even a fight breaking out and carrying on along the streets, but once they noticed Fenris, none dared to go and help, as his reputation was well known in this city, too well known!  
  
"What are you going to do Vina?" Dorian questioned as he sat on his bent knees, confused as to what was happening.  Why isn't she taking him to a healer? Why are they not dragging him to Sanctuary to prevent embarrassment?   
  
"Help him. Watch."  
  
Fenris was still moaning from the pain in his stomach, his mouth was releasing disturbing burps and gagging noises, he tried to speak, acting like the unbreakable fighter he believed to be, he tried to refuse the aid of Vianna as she wished to just place her hand over his face, but in his head, he knew he needed to stop resisting and allow this unknown mystical mage to help him, even though he still doesn't trust them. Vianna allowed the stubborn man to finish resisting her and dealing with his stomach ache, and once she knew he was at ease and relaxed more, she flared her fingers wide on her right hand and gently hovered the palm of her hand over his face, from forehead to chin. His eyes were squinting and struggling to open, yet once her hand passed by, his eyes were now peacefully sealed shut with no straining.  She successfully used the sleep spell on Fenris, putting him into an instant peaceful state of rest.   
  
The locals were now choosing to stand still, from a distance, as they observed Fenris fall victim to a simple magical spell, putting him in a sedated state. Dorian could feel the eyes of the locals scanning over the trio, it made his hairs stand up on his neck.  
  
"Vina, should we really do this here?"   
  
"Yes!" She snapped back without looking at him.  
  
Once she knew Fenris was knocked out, she gently shuffled away so she could place Fenris's head on the concrete, then shuffled over to where his stomach was.  With a bit of difficulty and two pairs of hands, they managed to remove some of his armor and clothing just to expose his stomach and navel. Both the mages couldn't help but pause and observe the unique lyrium markings designed over his stomach, navel and hip bone.  Once Vianna was happy, she got herself comfortable and Dorian took a step back, as the citizens took a step forward.  
  
Vianna closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and gently placed both her hands against each other, on top of Fenris's stomach and gently pressed against his skin. She began to breathe in deep like she was meditating, her hands began to glow a strong bright blue light releasing a gentle hum as the magic began to generate and form its unique abilities within the power and knowledge of Vianna's mind and body. The blue light started to spread over Fenris's stomach, and Vianna's skin began to change on her face, showing a delicate blue tint.  Dorian was now watching in awe, standing to his feet without breaking his eye contact from the truly remarkable magic Vianna was attempting to achieve.  By now people were sneaking up by Dorian and wished to question what was going on, but all he could do was give a shrug of the shoulders and say "I honestly don't know."  
  
By now at least a dozen people were watching and waiting. Without warning, Vianna suddenly opened her eyes, which were now pulsating with intense magic, so intense a blue light was protecting from her eyes.  The people recoiled with shock at the sudden simple movement of this girl and started to chatter amongst themselves, mentioning her eyes, and the sensation of this magical power surrounding her that they could feel. Then Vianna moved her hands.  They spread out gently, exposing Fenris's navel once again, but this time, there was a small pool of magical water resting on his stomach shimmered under the lantern light, just resting there.  Vianna removed one hand and used the other to gently hover in a circular motion over the water.  With a few flicks of her fingertips, she arched her hand rising it upwards, then back down, then upwards again repeatedly.  It was then that everyone, including Dorian, gasped with disbelief and amazement, as they watched with keen eyes, as the blue lyrium infused water started to turn a deep purplish red. The combination of colors spirals around amongst each other like a whirlpool.  Soon enough the deep red and purple completely absorbed the blue.  Everyone was now talking and gasping so much, they were attracting more people, including the owners of the stalls and encouraging people out of their homes.   
  
The once blue pool was now completely purple.  Vianna stopped moving her fingers and now with both hands, she hovered over the pool again, and made both her hands do the same motions as before, yet this time, that purple liquid somehow resting on Fenris's stomach, was being extracted out of the pool, and resting on the palm of Vianna's hands, upside down.  Droplet by droplet, the liquid escaped the man's skin and drew to Vianna's hands, it grew in diameter rather quickly, the liquid bounced around the more she absorbed.  Just when everyone couldn't be more entertained and amazed, once the used ball of wine was now resting within her palms, she flinched her fingers, and turned the ball of wine, the size of a human head, into a solidified frozen ball of wine.   
  
Everyone simultaneously breathed with shock as they heard the liquid crack as it formed ice crystals. Vianna released a large groaning sigh, as the magic completely stopped. Her skin and eyes went back to normal, the magical light left her hands, as she adjusted her palm to now turn upwards, and with the ball of frozen wine, she threw it behind her and let it shatter on impact.    
  
Everyone broke into applause and cheers, whooping and cheering to Vianna after what they just saw, that was when Vianna realized she had an unexpected audience.  She got to her feet, did a simple basic bow in a form of appreciation, then grabbed Dorian by the arm, yanking him out of the circular border of people, and demanding him to get rid of them all.  
  
"Okay everyone, She needs to wake him up now, so please leave, thank you for your time, hope you enjoyed the show!"  The sarcastic charmer walked round everyone asking them to leave, giving handshakes and grateful nods while shooing them with his hands to get them to leave. Vianna waited until everyone didn't look like they were obviously watching, and just like before, she hovered her hand over Fenris's face and watched his eyes shoot open. He rose up pretty quickly, looking a bit dazed, then turned around to see Vianna smiling at him.  
  
"What did you do to me?"  Fenris snarled and his lyrium markings began to glow.  
  
"Does your stomach hurt? Do you feel dizzy? Do you feel sick?"  Vianna ignored Fenris's sharp comment and stood still folding her arms as she asked the questions.  He soon paused, really thinking about what she asked, and he started to realize he didn't feel drunk or sick anymore.  
  
"Noooo..." His answer dragged and changed in tone as he looked at her and answered.  
  
"Then I helped you, that's all you need to know." That trick took a lot of energy and magic out of Vianna, she just gave her head a little shaking, took in a deep breath and adjusted her clothes.  
  
"Shall we get to Sanctuary then? Those children are waiting for you."  
  
Back at Sanctuary, everyone was preparing dinner for the night but as so many people have left, there was less food prepared, they didn't even need to use both tables. There was an extra large leg of lamb covered in a herb and spice crust and a spit-roasted chicken on silver platters. Various bowls containing potatoes, pasta, salads, and bread rolls were neatly presented on the table along with the usual collection of wines, beers, juice, and water. Everyone was getting comfortable, then the three mages finally returned to Sanctuary, just in time for dinner.   
  
"Fenris!"  The children all left their seats and dashed over to him, grabbing him by the arms and legs, nearly dragging him to the ground from their excitement.  Vianna and Dorian stepped away with smiles on their faces, watching Fenris be admired by the beautiful youth around him, then made their way to the table. That was when Varric decided to allow the children and their parents to stay for dinner, then they are free to leave. He then encouraged the children to leave Fenris alone and go to the table for dinner.  Fenris followed without choice as so many children were grabbing his hands, leading him to the table asking if they could sit next to him.  He reached for an empty chair, but for some reason, Varric called him over and pulled out a particular chair for him to sit in.  
  
"Hey Broody, this seat is for you, come on...sit."  With a roll of the eyes, Fenris walked over, slumped hard into the chair and sighed as Varric pushed the chair in for him.  The children fought over the two chairs sitting beside him, but with one simple finger placed on their nose by Fenris, the children suddenly stopped arguing and chose all the seats beside him. Everyone finally got to enjoy their dinner.  The parents sat next to Varric and couldn't stop praising him for this place, which Fenris overheard and scoffed every time, thinking they should be saying that to him, this was his house, after all, Varric just kept it hidden and protected.  The children were keen to approach Kai after they had eaten, asking if she had any chocolate or sweets for them.  Vianna sat quietly as she was feeling quite weak, and had to keep sipping on a lyrium potion.  Dorian was just naturally scoffing his face with all the food and wine he could manage.  Everyone was enjoying the quiet evening when suddenly a huge wooden bang echoed the room.  


Everyone jumped out of their skin, leaping off the chairs and letting out little squeals of fear, as everyone looked to where the sound came from, the double door entrance.  As the doors swayed open, three people stood side by side in the entrance, they walked forward, so the candlelight could shine on their faces.  
  
"Lovely.  Just in time for dinner."  
  
"Oh dear! Is it rude to walk in onto people when they are eating? I don't quite remember."  
  
"I'm back my love."  
  
Aveline, Merrill, and Hawke had finally returned to Sanctuary.  They looked like they only left a few hours ago with no sign of battle scars, injuries or fatigue.  Varric smirked and just looked over to Fenris as he stood from his chair, the only chair that was directed in front of the double doors, so he could see his love return to him.  Only then did something happen that no one had ever seen before, Fenris smiled, he choked on the shock of seeing Hawke standing there, holding her arms out to him.  The tough man disappeared and the lovesick man ran to Hawke, fell into her arms and starting kissing her passionately as she too embraced her love once again.  Aveline and Merrill decided to leave the two love birds alone, and went to join the table of people and grabbed any food that was left over and introduce themselves to Varrics new companions.   
  
"I've missed you so much my love, please don't leave me alone for that long again!"  Fenris finally got a chance to whisper the words he's been dying to say as he looked into Hawkes eyes dripping with tears of joy, holding her cheeks and rubbing her skin with his thumbs.  
  
"I've missed you too. I am sorry my love, but it was all worth it. We did our job, and I have been waiting for a long time to come home to tell you something."  Hawke smiled and sniffled a little as she spoke, failing to look away from the sight she saw in her dreams every night.   
  
"What is it? Are you hurt? did something happen?"  Fenris started to panic.  
  
"No no my love, its good news."  Hawke took one of Fenris's hands away from her face, held it comfortable within her own, and gently lowered his hand, and placed it on her stomach.  
  
"We now have our own pup to look after."  
  
Fenris screamed with joy, picked up Hawke in his arms and spun around with her on the spot, both laughing and screaming with joy.  
  
"I'm going to be a dad!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to get creative on the display fo the writing, so I thought why not make it look like old paper scraps with writing onWitherstalk - Effects the mind when combined with other flowers. Effective and more beneficial when the sap is fresh.  
> Felandaris - grows where the veil is thin, providing a link to fade, nicknamed demon weed.  
> Dragonthorn - The leaves will enhance and stabilize other, more volatile magical compounds. The bark is strong enough to craft into weaponry.  
> Amrita Vein - A plant designated in desert areas, yet stores clean drinkable liquid within its roots under the sand.  
> Spindleweed -Found growing near water. Used in well-known folk remedy, crafted to help heal the infirm. Symbolic in large amounts, representing a fatal illness. Good resistance properties.  
> Embrium - A beautiful flower, works well with much other flora. Pleasant scent, beautiful flower heads, stem and petals all have healing properties.  
> Blood lotus - Commonly found around water. Possibly causes hallucinations. Possibly causes black-outs/people to fall asleep.


	15. Getting Back on Track

  
The people cheered and screamed with delight at the news, the delightful miracle of childbirth happening to their Champion Hawke and Fenris. The women couldn't maintain the broody side and maternal instincts as they all sneaked around Hawke as she sat at the table attempting to eat some salad. Constantly asking questions on her health and pregnancy, being overly cautious about what she was eating, if she was drinking enough.

Poor Fenris felt helpless as he sat like a prop in the chair next to Hawke, refusing to let go of her hand he held discreetly under the table, failing to understand the words coming out of the women's mouth's, let alone the questions and suggestions they were bombarding her with. The fact that Hawke was very comfortable answering the questions as she receiving pleasant delights of praise and congratulations showering her ears, reflected back through her innocent giggles and rose-cheeked smiles was the reason he didn't interrupt or cause a disturbance between the huddled women.

It wasn't long before the continuous chitter chatter turned to bells ringing in his ears, giving his head that oh so familiar throbbing effect. He had no choice but to tell his love he needed some air and a bit of quiet. She knew she couldn't leave for the bathroom let alone accompany him in the tranquillity of silence somewhere, so she accepted his leave, gave him a slow kiss on the lips with a touch of her hand on his face, keeping him there for a few seconds longer, whispered I love you to each other, and Fenris left the table, heading towards the garden.

Fenris charged through the garden like he just escaped a room with no oxygen, feeling the dramatic change of heated walks, loud voices and mixed smells to free open space, clean air, and the gentle noises of the nightly critters within the garden. He took in a deep breath, feeling the freshness enter his nose and reach through to his lungs. The warm exhale of his own breath reflected back onto his face as the wind blew in the opposite direction. He ran his fingers through his hear and dropped his arms heavy with another heavy exhale, followed by a slow-growing smile, which he quickly concealed with his fingers.

"I'm going to be a father. I am a father! Holy Maker I will have a son or a daughter." A quick pause, then a sharp over-hyped laugh echoed the circular garden, he quickly silenced by startling a couple of birds resting within the bushes climbing the stone, fluttering their feathers sharply into the sky above. Fenris couldn't resist to react and watch the creatures flutter over his head, directing him to the starlit sky above him.

He stared up, filling his eyesight with nothing but a navy blue and ebony black canvas, watching the balls of light dance from such a great distance. Pictures started to connect from star to star as the overfilled man of love, joy, disbelief, and gratitude just stood and gazed, allowing his mind to soak in the news he thought he would never experience. He has been given a chance to have a life, with the love of his life, with a new life they both created, he couldn't feel happier and just didn't know what to say.

"Congratulations!" A delicate whisper of a female voice echoed from the kitchen door, under the canopy of wood and wilted vines, flowing to the semi-blocked ears of Fenris, putting him in a small panic. His mind, his heart, his skin, his magic all snapped at the moment of the voice being called, putting him in defense mode. His entire body glowed from his lyrium markings like the veins of lyrium beneath the walking surface itself.

"It's just me. Sorry to startle you." Vianna approached the elf, allowing the natural light to show her presence, holding her arms out to show no harm.

"What did you see?" Fenris threw his demand with the look of interrogation over his face as he refused to put down his stance, keeping his spread legs, his toes digging into the grass, with his hands open wide at his side.

"What did I see?" She repeated back the question with such confusion. She took a single step forward, placing the confusion onto her face and put her arms out to question him rather than protect herself. Why ask such a silly question? Is he still that defensive over her? or is it the fact that he let a side of him out he kept a secret from others?

"Well if you want me to be honest..." She paused and made herself comfortable by sitting on the closest wooden bench she could reach. She adjusted the over lengthed tunic top under the bottom, sat legs together with her elbows resting on her legs, hands held together. The confusion was still on her face, but her voice changed to that kind honesty with a hint of bluntness thrown in.

"...I just heard a man receive the greatest news known to every race and species on this planet. Yet he thinks he doesn't deserve it, or he believes he has to continue questioning himself "why him?" for quite some time." Vianna finished with a raised eyebrow and opened up her hands in the simplest of gestures, waiting for the stubborn elf to admit she was right, because she knew she was.

"You what? You have no right to..." Fenris was in such a state confusion, blending all the wrong ingredients together, his brain just exploded, reacted the only way he knew how. He made a quick march to the defenseless girl. Nothing but fury raging from his presence, vibrating the air around them, shaking the essence of magic within the elves bodies. Fenris simply planned to grab the girl, pull her closer for interrogation of his liking. His arm was arched back, his fingers spread wide with a deep grasp placed in his palm, one move and he was going to take her by the shoulder.

Vianna's innocent casual face transformed into her defense mode, with one simple blink, the solo blink she needed to take to prepare as she realized this man was not in the talkative mood. She watched Fenris snap, with his first step, she blinked. With haste, she sat up straight, raised her left hand to her face, first and the only finger pointing up covering her mouth. Fenris was now inches away from grabbing her shoulder, but before his skin could even touch the fabric protecting her body, she slapped her first finger gently on the back of his hand.

Rather than a petty tap of a weak female finger on the back of masculine hand heavily protected in armor, it felt like the female sealed a solid iron cast over the male's hand, locking every finger in place. The man observed his hand with panic, as he noticed an orange hex rotating over his palm and thumb. The impact sent a distressful sharp pain, spreading over his skin, seeping through to his muscle, quickly beginning to coat his bones with a layer of sharp nerve pinching pain.

"You shouldn't treat your companions like that you know, it's rude." Not a thread of fear, no conflict discomforts, just one strong woman, successfully defending herself with her mastered skills of magic, allowing her words to let the man see the kind of honesty and kindness she can give, if you are nice that is. She lowered her hand back gently to her original position.

"What is this?" Fenris wanted to grab the girl, but the impact of her finger made his hands instantly repel, like a hidden force that was too strong for his magic to reach and breakthrough. Once upon a time, this man could rip peoples hearts out of their chest through magic, how can this girl, this dalish tree-hugging mage create magic so powerful, it literally dispelled his strength.

"Take it off...TAKE IT OFF!" Fenris was getting angrier as he attempted to reach for the girl once more, but the pain coursed down his arm with such intensity he couldn't resist the natural reaction to recoil his hand into his chest. In a panic, he attempted to stretch out his fingers and pull off the magical loop off his hand.

"What do you mean 'Companion'? Your not my companion, your a casualty who has overused my ward. Now take it off!"

Vianna didn't know what to do. That honestly hurt her feeling. His words did hit her hard, making her realize he wasn't wrong. She should have only been knocked out for hours, not days, but that also was not her fault. If Only she knew how she got to that point, but no one would tell her. Unless...

"Hey, I'm talking here, take this off mage!"

"Mage...mage...mage..." A negative echo of unwanted nostalgia replaced the moment of being antagonized by a grown male, switched to the children of her clan, the bullies. A dozen, more boys than girls, all with the titles of hunter or mage, except her. Vianna couldn't craft a weapon, or hold one in training. Always too scared to leave the camp. To shy to attend scholar readings and magic school. Always reading instead of playing in the mud or creating magic bombs. But then that day happened, when the innocent elven female child, solo child to a mother and father of the clan, with no friends, no purpose, had finally had enough!

"YES!" Vianna spoke out boldly. Her eyes shimmered from natural blue to gleaming pale blue within seconds as she spoke. Her left hand took shape like she was holding something, with a gentle twist of her hand turning clockwise, Fenris's hand moved in the same position, at the same time, but he had to release a scream of discomfort in the movement.

"I am a mage!" Vianna lifted her hand up to her chest as he stood up simultaneously. Fenris felt the tug of her magic within his hand, making him stumble awkwardly towards her.

"You are going to tell me what happened to me, then I will apologize for the extended stay, remove this hex, then leave."

"How dare you intimidate me! In my ho...owww." The defense would not break, the man felt like he was in his slave chains once again. She was still proving in his eyes that mages are all bad, no matter what the purpose, control is never maintained. His wrist cracked under the pressure of the magic hex, as the ice mage turned her hands once again to his rude words.

"If you continue to insult me and don't answer my questions, I will leave this on your hand, then leave." Vianna was humming with magic energy as he got close to Fenris falling down to his knees from the pressure of the magic controlling his hand. His chest continued to rise at a fast pace, heavy breaths of pain and discomfort leaving his open mouth grunting horrid noises from his throat. His lyrium markings began to shine brighter the more he stared up to the ice mage, showing the cold presentation he could feel through her magic.

"I only did what Varric said. He is the one I care about, not you! He was desperate to make sure you were not dead, so he came to me first for help." Fenris spat out his words at the mages still face, continuing to hold her hand out maintaining the control over him, but he reminded her she didn't have control of his opinions, as he enjoyed saying his own words of wisdom in the most sarcastic and spiteful way he could.  
"But when I said just chop off her hand he wouldn't let me, that soft excuse for a dwarf only wanted me for my eyes to watch you 'sleep' while you held onto that disgusting object."

"What object?" Vianna snapped. Her eyes lit up, jolting her hand uncontrollably by the hurtful words. The girl remained strong, she was not going to be mocked for her skills and judged for her falsely claimed sins.

"Even now you never learn to shut your mouth do you?" Fenris let out a spine-tingling cackle. His voice rattled jus three times, as his skin began to smoke a blue light through his metallic armor plates, his features disguised through the unnatural colors and mist.

"The object, it belongs to...Oh, what was his name..." Fenris pretended to rame his memory banks.

"...Solas?"

Vianna pulled her arm facing her front at full force, now held behind her own back, pulling Fenris down to her feet flat on his chest. Her frozen twig-like fingers twitched together, her fingernails barely touching, the girl enhanced the intensity of the cold ice magic she enhanced with the misdirection hex on Fenris's hand. The iron cast feeling was the hex working, but the stings, the bites, that was Vianna turning his blood, his muscle to shards of ice at minus temperatures. Vianna stood still, as a tear formed and unknowably fell from her eye without a blink, landing on Fenris hair, shining the same color as the ice mages own.

"Oh dear someone lost a boyfriend? Did he die? robbed his grave did you?" Sarcastic, careless, and he even spoke with a little tune everyone decides to use to make sure they knew the person was very upset, and he was living it. The pain had obviously endured its limits, he was now in bursts of laughter as he continued to clutch tightly on his hand, allowing it to be controlled, but not manipulated.

"Yes I did, I love him, but he left me," Vianna spoke with such a dead tone, she sounded like a Tranquil. More tears kept forming and leaving the lower seal of her eyes, but there was no need to actually cry. She just stared and watch Fenris laugh, wriggle, pointing at her, reach for his own hand, yet she remained still, holding her arm still behind her, controlling the hex.

"You love Hawke don't you Fenris?" Vianna asked so politely, but the question turned Fenris back into the monster of rage.

"You leave her out of this!" The rabid wolf roared from his throat, frothing at the mouth as his eyes flared with devoted protection over the name of his love, now the mother of his future child.

"It would be a shame if she suddenly disappeared and left you behind..." No emotions, no remorse, no reaction to her actions. The girl moved her arm away from her back, gracefully bringing it to her chest. With her unoccupied hand, she wrapped her hand in a circular motion over the palm of her other hand.

"Can you imagine the pain you must feel Fenris, what I must feel. Such..." The girl gently brought her cupped hands in a sphere of magic and whispered the final words into the open curve..."Horror!"  
Like the voice of death, breathing into the world stealing the last breath of the mortal man. Vianna breathed the magic of the horror hex into the magic chain linking to Fenris's hand, altering its magical element. Instantly it began to project Vianna's own mental images and the emotions with them, but as this is his stage, it was him, turning his back, to see Hawke gone.

The imagery was so real, the confused man somehow believed this happened, it was impossible to lie of its existence. He grabbed the sides of his head, digging his fingernails into his scalp, rocking nervously as the mental projection continued to roll in his mind. His heart was swelling up with too much pain, loss, confusion, despair. No matter how many times he mentally called for her to come back, there was no response, no sign, just him, alone.

"Please stop...I'm sorry...I'm sorry, I understand..." Fenris broke the silence with a plea of tormented guilt and heartache. He struggled to talk, his heart felt like it was lodged in his throat, his body continued to rock out of the tormented memories of losing the one and only person he cared for. No one was allowed to share his heart, expect, Hawke.

"I'm dead...I'm a dead man without my Hawke, My Sienna Hawke. I love her, I need her. I said meeting her was the most important thing that ever happened to me...I meant it." Fenris had to stop as his body would not let him speak another word until he refilled his lungs with air, and unclogged the snot from his nose.

"Come back...come back...come back-k-k..."

"That's enough inquisitor." A female voice gave a command with such gentle awareness. Vianna didn't even turn her head round upon the request. All the magic generating in her body, the hex lock upon the elf before her feet, and the mental horrors instantly vanished all at once, like a candle had been extinguished with one blow. Fenris felt the gravitation of the mental torment leave his mind. His hand was free from the unlockable force, and that voice ringing in his sensitive ears felt like the holy hand of light taking him to The Makers side.

"I think I have seen and heard enough." The champion of Kirkwall, the mage Sienna Hawke, revealed her cloaked body away from her hiding place within the shadowed gardens.

Her black hair looked longer than usual with a scruffy style. Her deep blood red scar across her face shined like a ruby on her pale-skinned face against her puppy dog brown eyes. Her body didn't show signs of pregnancy, but hints of gluttony were visible as a small double chin was forming around her current circular cheeks. With broad shoulders and a serious look on her face, she made her presence beside Vianna. Standing tall and confident like before, both women showing nothing but disappointed, as they looked down at the crying pup, but tried to hide their own unique forms of sympathy.

"I hope I didn't go too far, but I did what you asked, including keeping myself safe. " Vianna adjusted her hair stroking it flat from the magical flare, flicked it over her shoulders giving her the presentable look once again, then remaining still and quiet.

Fenris never felt more intimidated in his life. He couldn't move, there was the failure to lift his hands away from his face to look at Hawke, telling himself it was all a mental game. Hawke requested the inquisitor to do this? How could his love allow him to be held like a puppet and allowed a mage to pull the strings?

"Why?...Why my love? Why?" Stuttering against the skin of his palms, struggling to breathe, letting his tears soak his face from his cupped hands and shielded mouth.

"I needed to know if you could keep your promise while I was gone." The sympathetic woman tried to fight back her own form of hurt in this as she knelt down on one knee gently to the grass, placed her hand on Fenris 's head and gently stroked her fingers through his hair.

" Do you remember what that was? "

Fenris remained quiet and held his tongue for a few minutes. He was attempting to remember, remembering he would never break a promise, or forget one, but the man struggled for a while to open his memory, then it came back to him like a bolt of lightning.

"I would change...my opinions...on mages...for you..." The attempt to speak, the struggle to use his brain to remind himself of something important, it all managed to calm him down a little without realizing. He finally removed his hands, going from pitch black to holy light as he locked his sight from his puffy bloodshot red eyes at his beloved's dark brown eyes, showing an overwhelming look of love and joy back at him.

" And yet I heard you disrespected the inquisitor, who is also a friend of mine. Just because she was a mage, you didn't like offering aid to someone in need based on biases and bad memories." Hawke continued to run her fingers through her loves thin silver hair, gently massaging her fingertips into his skull as she spoke. She finished speaking by asking a question, placed her hand on his cheek, altered his head to look at her, rubbing her thumb on his skin.

"Does Sanctuary have no meaning anymore? "

Distraught, overwhelmed, confronted with too much painful truth, and still wrapped with fresh emotions of loss, Fenris fell weak again to his own levels of low. With a swift sprint upwards, resting on his knees, he threw his arms around his beautiful Hawke, holding her as tight as he could, nuzzling his mouth close to her ear.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was scared! I went sour because I didn't have you by my side. I am nothing without you, Hawke. I always feared the thought of losing you, but I never realized just how much the emotions hurt when you truly lose the one you love."

Hawke embraced her pup with comfort and serenity within her presence, while Vianna removed the tears that have been welling up in her eyes as she heard and witnessed everything. The price she paid projecting the horror hex was too much to handle. The magic used to open the door of the spell was fueled by her own emotions and memories, combined with the outcome displayed inches away from her broke her core. Both the elves were still linked with the true horrors of heartbreak due to residual emotions attached to the magic in their bodies. As long as she remembered, so did he, and vice versa, only for a while.

Fenris was sharing his pain with his love and began to realize everything is alright. Tightening his grip against a warm huggable body. Taking deep breaths, calmly inhaling her body's natural scent. The jilted elven girl was now craving the same ecstasy running through his veins. The almost obsessive desire, to have nothing more than to feel the strong embrace of Solas's arms around her. The hypnotic cloud of emotions made her eyes close slowly, releasing more tears freely, she lowered her head and recited a prayer, as she does every day.

Will she open her eyes and see Solas just one more time? Standing there in the flesh, no magic, no veil, no fade, just her irresistible Dread Wolf, taking her firstly by sealing his lips passionately onto hers. His arms slithering around her waist, hips, and buttocks, forcing her body close to his. The exchange of saliva as they kiss with minimum breaks and pauses. Only when they had to breathe, all they had was their own scents', twisting into one glorious perfume of pleasure.

"Vianna?" The calling of her name created a pause with her feet.

"Thank you!" A form of gratitude? coming from...Fenris? Vianna suddenly snapped back into reality, as the call of her name lit the beacon in her mind to disconnect from the magic, and the fantasy. Cautiously, and slyly, she wiped her eyes before looking upon the couple still cuddled close to the ground.

"For what?" Vianna questioned quietly with haste.

"Making me realize how much it hurts...and...how much you must hurt." The strength of the warrior was finding its place within the black-armored protector once again. He rose to his feet as he praised the mage, assisting his pregnant companion to stand beside him. A small moment of silence past, Vianna stunned by his words, and Fenris didn't know why to say next, but a small nudge of the arm and a hip bump from a un-sly Hawke gave the next step.

"And I am sorry. Sorry for not giving you the aid you needed respectfully, sorry for insulting your position and reputation. Sorry for insulting your abilities of a mage, AND for attempting to inflict physical harm upon you."

Fenris turned to Hawke, his face gazing down upon her as he spoke with too much sarcasm, completely ruining the mood.

"Did I forget anything?"

"Actually you did?" Hawke quickly hit back with a strong strike of wit at the sarcastic man beside her. Her eyebrow raised, a smirk formed on her lips and that little sparkle in her eye shined. The elf gulped instantly.

"You should congratulate her for mastering my magic so well." Hawke winked.

"Wait? What? What do you mean?"

"Oh yes, Hawke shared some of her magic with me last time we met back at Skyhold. I'm like a child begging for treats when it comes to knowledge and magic. She asked me to use these spells to help both of you. It was quite fun learning, to be honest."

Hawke puckered her lips and placed a strong, quick kiss on the forehead of Fenris. The man paused instantly, wishing to bring up this information through conversation, but those lips touching his skin on that location was his ultimate weak spot, instantly freezing him.

"I am sorry my love, this was for your own good, but he won't happen again." She rubbed his neck, nuzzling her forehead to his before kissing him on the nose, bringing that tiny, but adorable smirk on his face. He could never resist her being cute.

"Promise?"

"Promise! On our future family. Now if you don't mind my love, I honestly do need to speak to The Inquisitor in private for a minute. Meet me in our room, okay? Love you."

"Love you both!"

Fenris failed to completely remove the physical attachment to his love, as their fingers remained interlinked until their distance could go no further. Fenris decided to take a closer step to Vianna before leaving. He looked different somehow, like the shield, the guard, the defender had disappeared. There was a heart, a mind, and a soul speaking through his eyes, as he looked with such gentle features at her.

Uncomfortable? Awkward? Confusing? All the above? Vianna was just lost for words, yet she remained calm and polite, that was until Fenris took a hold of her left hand, choosing to turn it up right then break eye contact, to look at her palm.

Nothing, just for a second or two, then frees her hand, and looks back at her, no different from how he was before.

"You truly will do anything for this man, won't you? You will put your own skin, blood, magic, and life on the line. Just to have him back?"

"Yes I would, I love him, and you know that's true." No need for debate as she replied instantly. The confident elf brought straightened her back a little, brought on the bad habit of turning on her defensive voice.

"Then you are a mage I will happily respect. I do hope you find him." Just like that, he left, leaving the stunned girl with a tap on the shoulder.

The woman remained silent, not moving an inch, not until they both heard the click of the metal handle echo with the silent wind, leaving them alone. Just to be extra sure, overprotecting Vianna gently graces her left arm to the skies. Her palm facing up releasing a mystical beam of blue magic, only meters above their head. The magic was forced to disperse at it rebelled against the invisible shield of highly craft glyphs and spells already protecting this garden, but her magic continued to fall in a shower of shimmering ice, releasing a wall of air crystalizing on impact against the minus cold temperatures, double sealing all possibilities of sight and sound from outside.

"If I had known you were pregnant I would have never, NEVER, sent you that letter asking to make a detour for me!" Feeling disappointed in herself, she approached the human closer. The girl wished to embrace The Champion, but the nervousness of never being around a pregnant woman before brought on an awkward dance in her arms, questioning can she and how she should embrace her? Out of politeness The Champion raced her right hand before the nervous girl, showing she is perfectly fine knowing this was uncomfortable.

"It has been no problem, I found out before we took the detour, I informed Aveline right away, naturally she became extra defensive, so I was safe and logical with my body." Changing the position fo her hand, she reached her arm around and behind her lower back. After a small rummage, she revealed a red velvet pouch, hand-decorated with silver thread, marking the sign of the Templar.

At high swift motions, the red pouch was quickly snatched out of the hands of the champion by the elf, currently inhaling deeply with pure excitement and disbelieve, and she gently rubs the reverse effect of the velvet, using her fingertips to gently follow the delicate pattern of the thread. Her eyes were glowing with delight, a smile shined from the corner of her lips as she looked back to the champion, shining onto her like a child receiving a toy they have always wanted.

"You found it! You actually found it. Is it really hers?" Vianna then wasted no time fiddling with the thinly twined silk holding the pouch together, becoming more annoying and difficult as her adrenaline continued to pump through her body and producing the shakes.

"It is hers. He promised on his mothers' life it was, but I have to add, he wouldn't have done anything if you had not mentioned you knew of his mother in the first place."

The champion paused for a brief moment, as Vianna successfully opened the pouch and dipped her fingers inside. Gently she exposed an object held gently in her fingers, shining glimmers of bright gold accompanied by a small beam of crimson red as Vianna circled the object with her hand, staring it at with pure bliss.

"What is it?" The champion questioned.

"It's her phylactery." The elf replied with high toned excitement.

"Who's?" Questioning again with more curiosity.

"Livia Arida Alexius" The elfs face reminded light, but her voice turned dark.


	16. Link and Chains

Livia Arida Alexius. Wife to Gereon Alexius. Mother to Felix Alexius. A student under the knowledge of the fade as she grew up in the realm of the Tevinter Imperium. After she bonded to the man she loves, she converts to the role of a teacher and carried many students under her wing. The fade, and the veil, that was her expertise and teachings. The incredible research and knowledge she possessed. Surely she would take something like this with her to the grave, but there could always be some knowledge, somewhere, either hidden or in plain sight, waiting to be found, or destroyed.

The second part happened to be true, but like most sacred things, they are not easy to see let alone be touched with your very own hands. Vianna, an elf of knowledge was now holding a new object of power and hidden facts. The strong golden circular charm, decorated around a cylinder vial of blood, the blood of this human mage, was now being held tight with glee. The elf felt powerful, ambitious, determined, confident all thanks to this precious gem. She fell into a trance by its beauty and the reality of seeing it in her hands, filling the girl with accomplishment, knowing how far she came to reach this point.

Everything Vianna has done had links. Being a mage there would be a natural connection to most things, as well as being a dalish elf, so when a fellow companion who helped fight to protect the world, known for her gift of whispers and messengers, secrets became uncovered and whispers in the wind became clearer in one's ear. When two unique souls meet and open up with information, the links begin to connect, creating the chains of bonds and connections.

How is this fusion caused? by blood? Magic? Destiny? Fate? Love? Intimacy? Everyone has a story to share, all with different reasons, created with a connection to feelings, forming a memory, a regret, or an unforgettable moment. When the bond is connected, something is created, and with emotional attachment, sometimes that link is the connection to a breakthrough.

This special night bird of messages was also well known for being a closeup witness of the fifth blight. This blight ended in a tremendous victory, all thanks to a woman now graced with the title of Queen as well as Grey Warden. Old habits die hard for some people, especially when a chapter of this blight fighters life involved sharing stories of fact and myth. Barding nobles with entertainment using music and stories. It's interesting to hear a particular story of one such companion of hers during this time, who was strong and wise as her age and wisdom.

A tender-hearted old woman who was on borrowed time, recited a story, a memory, to a young templar boy one day. She confided in him, her maternity attached to his youth and innocence. He now no longer stands like a boy, decorated tall in armor, but a man who carries his duty and his burden with a crowning shine, with his true love by his side.

This connection brought her to open closed doors, and tell this boy, she once bore a son herself. Another thread grew between the souls, as she had to explain it was also a difficult pregnancy, a similar scenario that the boy could understand very well. Out of these two people, one ventured out to look for the remaining family known to be alive, while the other only dreamed of doing so, never fulfilling a promise made.

A similar feeling was also created when the woman soon got to know an elf. A troubled boy once upon a time, very confused and filled with unwanted guilt. With the helping heart and love resting in the body of the woman now named Queen, this generous lady redeemed her stubborn ideas and decisions and succeeded in seeking this boy out once more. He successfully broke free from the cage he lived in, called The Circle to most people, but weeks had passed by, nights were lost, days were long and tiring. It wasn't until one unfortunate night, he was caught by the false guards, known to most as Templars. Blood was shed, sin was swayed, bringing the essence of life to grow weak within the young mages' body.

The boy was surprised to soon awake amongst the living world, truly believing the touch of death would take his last breath. Lady luck was there in his favor instead, for a male scout found his wounded body. Marked with the vallaslin of Andruil, goddess of the hunt, the scout heard the cry for mercy. Once found, he attended the wounds so he could take the injured victim back to his dalish camp, a clan who deemed him as a fellow brother as he was presented to the keeper, immediately.

His name was Aneirin. The name of the boy who was now free to live his days out of freedom and choice thanks to a lady who had the touch of fertility embrace her body, creating the woman into a mother, yet she never embraced the role, only its hidden title. Not forgetting his fellow brother elf blessed by his goddess who found him just in time to save his life once again.

The dalish have wished for nothing more than to remember the old times. Anything hidden should be found, and they are the guidance to remember what once was. Connecting with their sisters and brothers, friends and teachers, parents and keepers was important since time was written. So names of new faces, as well as losses, are often shared with everyday communication amongst most communities with limited capacities. A new elf, a new face, a new name, new stories.

Who else would get to hear of these stories first hand once the patient is conscious? Why The Keeper of the clan, and the healers doing their blessed jobs. How could two strangers connect if they both were in the unknown of personalities? Why the head healer could sense, see, feel, and soon be told they both share the abilities to heal. It doesn't take long for the strongest healer of this clan to connect and communicate with her patient.

The pursuit of knowledge. It can be a very risky and dangerous interest in all concepts, but when your a young female elf just touching the age of her teens, sneaking around the medical bay, watching her mother work with care for the patient as they whisper in conversation, it's fun eavesdrop on the words spoken in the girls natural sensitive ears. So many questions were written down in her mind. Some for personal gain, others would say 'don't be nosey', but the thrill of doing the opposite of the rules is where the girl soon learned some lessons of life and traits of her changing personality. Not even a mother could keep her daughter under controlled silence, as the child hungered for knowledge, information, and facts as she snooped and clung onto the weak soul, showering him with words and questions whenever she had the opportunity.

Aneirin spent five long days of healing to reach his full strength and wished to continue on his journey of freedom and adventure. It could have been longer, but the male elf was now completely healed and recovered enough to walk, cast magic and even hunt again. He praised the keeper, the healer, and every elf within the clan every time he greeted their faces, but he felt like he belonged with the wind and the wilds, and requested his depart from the keepers care. Before his presence was no longer within the clan, he left behind a few stories, a couple of truths and facts thrown in, to a very keen little girl, including the story of his mentor and teacher, and her tragic experience bearing a child into the world.

This child, however, grew up well with power, stature, intelligence, and strife. Before he hit his teen years he was blessed with the birth of magic, manifesting strong and mature with his body and age, taking him onto a new journey from the path of the white chantry, to the glorious White Spire. This new apprentice enjoyed the teachings of the light for a while until his mentor took him down the path to the black chantry, the city of blood magic, The Tevinter Imperium. Sadly not all challenges he could overcome with winning victories, especially when you enter a world with so many alternative rules and loopholes you feel like the world has been flipped upside down, so he took a step further back, and began once again within The White Spire.

The white Spire, one of the most gloriously designed places within Orlais. Its name held truth and pride as the white building reached to the sky, inviting you into the home of the Orleasian mages. Sadly this was also another circle of magic which fell to the crumbling foundation of the once mages and templar rebellion, giving the situation of Kirkwall was an unwanted contribution, things did get out of control. Lives were lost to the slice of a blade or falling weak to demons. Magic of all classes and types, soldiers of ages young and old, all fighting over 'what was right' never truly got resolved. It brought fear amongst a lot of people in these dark times, no matter what life or story or label these people had fear soon became the enemy.

Fear plays many games and places many tricks within the mind. What if fear was prying on a human male mage who already had darkness to battle within his heart, mind, and soul. A man who has fallen to grief, guilt, shame, loneliness, failure, and disappointment all in himself. His name, his stature, his position was enough to stand ground and hold boundaries once upon a time, but it wasn't enough to protect the woman he loved, and the child created out of that love. The infectious disease of the world took this woman's life and cursed the child, bestowing a dark void in the man's heart he could never fill or remove.

When you lose someone you love, your nightmares become your fears, your nightmare screams "Will I forget?" turning your fear onto you. Now you fear to forget what you moments you had, what memories you created, what feelings you shared, and when you know that will also perish in the walking miracle of your child, will you lose all connections to that love? that life? that memory? What must you do?

You must protect it all! At all cost, at any price with any sacrifice, you protect what you have left. You can no longer trust anyone but yourself. No building is secure to house or heal you. The wind is no longer clean in the sky and the flora and fauna are not as beautiful as you think. This is where the last tug of this man's humanity starts to break his mind. With his last chance to protect what he treasures most, he placed his wife's phylactery, taken from her home of Tevinter for protection from them and its very existence, in The White Spire, close to the place his son now calls home thanks to his teachings. And on his person, he would keep her research, her findings, and one special amulet, to continue and begin again what was abandoned by the cruel hand of fate.

Little did he and thousands of others know a mage-templar would break out, putting this priceless treasure in as just as much danger due to building collapse or rebellious demons, humans, and elves. Alas by then, the loving husband died long ago, the caring father lost his touch, only darkness now shrouded this man, dragging him to the depths below. His heart and mind became empty, so hollow he soon heard the whispers, feeding him with words only a weak mind would fall prey to. Desperation, delusion, gullibility, false promises, everything a lonely lost soul believes in and needs after feeling lost to the endless pit of darkness for so long. He soon was forged back into a man with a purpose, filled with desire, driven by motivation and ambition, but with his heart long gone to maintain the sanity within his mind, he failed to see he was doing serious harm to all of humanity and the world.

If fate was as cruel as he claimed to be, then how is it the woman needed to stop the world from falling apart, without his help, managed to barge into his territory with his one and only pupil turn on him, interrupt his years of research and tests in the name of The Elder One, cause a backlash that no one should recite or remember, and stop him before a twisted fate and dark destiny created endless chaos. Instead of damnation and death that he hoped and expected, pitty was his hand of light, as the woman, known as The Inquisitor, never judged him as a criminal, but as a lost and lonely man, someone she could connect with, and soon have something to share with as time played a part for them both, just not at that moment.

That moment came when she was ready to claim her true judgment, leaving the man to rest behind bars to contemplate on his actions. The meeting didn't start well, but with the nightingale resting on the Inquisitor's shoulders, ready to call out when enough was enough, the two were able to talk and commence a final summary of the case: redemption. His once fear soon became his blessing in disguise, as a spirit of compassion was able to remove all memories within his timeline that left a shadow of sin and darkness behind him, allowing him to be reborn as a man, as a mage, as a teacher, all under a new name, Alec.

Not long after did the time come when The Inquisitor was off duty so to speak, and Vianna took her place, only wishing to seek out for the knowledge this man had after seeing what he managed to do back in Redcliffe. That's when Vianna felt the chained links lock into place and the whispers of her nightingale recited in her mind, sharing her knowledge and experience of the fade and the veil, and wanting to know more. She already knew his wife was a student of the veil and the fade thanks to the amulet and notes on Alec's possession, she just had to let him know she knew the mage who would do such a risky favor in the first place.

That dalish clan that saved the wounded apprentice just so happened to be hers, and her mother was the greatest healer they had. So it's no surprise when a childhood memory restores some nostalgia when a majestic name is mentioned by two different people, at two different times in Vianna's life. The story of the son she was forbidden to bare and hold just so happens to be the well known White Spire's fraternity mage, the man who helped a mourning husband fulfill a final wish, by blessing his wife's' phylactery safety within one of the most powerful cities known in Thedas.

Beliving and praying that The White Spire is the final resting place of the final fragments of Livia Alexius's memory and existence, It was easy to pass a duo message on the wings of a bird to a fellow accomplice, who just so happens to be pursuing a mission within the land of Orlais. One letter baring a request from The Inquisitor to The Champion of Kirkwall, to pass on the second letter to a Senior Enchanter who would see his own personal message, carefully reached out to him thanks to the whispers, providing connections to him about his mother, signed by a man he once helped, requesting he would find the phylactery and give it to The Champion to be returned to him.

Once Varric received news of The Champions making a return back home, that's when another lock was sealed, as Vianna and the gang left Skyhold and began a new journey. Of course, fate always gave you a starting point and an ending to witness, but everything in between was all part of the challenge of life, trials and errors, experiences with cause and effect, and no one said it would be pretty. What happened happened, what's done is done, but now the patience has finally paid off.

The time has come to complete the chain of quests that's been following Vianna for months, pulling her forward to her desired ending, and begin a new chapter somewhere on the hopeful path. Anything she needed to know about the veil and the fade was resting in the palm of her hands, locked away behind the magic, hiding the memoirs of knowledge. With her help, she will have the final ingredients for her potion, and once that's done, the meeting point will be made, the bond will finally be broken, and she will be free from suffocation of her broken heart, and she will never be found, stalked or hunted for again.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave me any sort of feedback as that will help me improve and make a story everyone enjoys reading (I hope) thank you x


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